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 Two DAUGHTERS OF ONE RACE 
 
 BY 
 
 W. HEIMBURG 
 
 AUTHOR OF GERTRUDE'S MARRIAGE, ETC., ETC 
 
 MRS. D. M. LOWREY 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 W. L. ALLISON COMPANY,
 
 COPYRIGHT, i88p BY 
 WORTHINGTON CO
 
 tm too Muggers of one race, 
 tae f$e faircsf tn f3e face." 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 2136402
 
 TWO DAUGHTERS OF ONE RACE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " FOR my lady," said the maid, as she handed 
 a letter to my grandmother, Fran von Werthern. 
 The old lady aroused herself from her waking 
 dream, let her work fall from her hands, brought 
 her spectacles down from their resting-place on 
 her forehead, placed them firmly before her 
 eyes, and then studied the superscription. 
 
 All was quiet in the room, with that unearthly 
 quiet which follows days of pain and sorrow. 
 For over two weeks scarcely a word had been 
 spoken in our household which had not been 
 absolutely necessary. 
 
 Now I was almost frightened when my grand- 
 mother called to me in energetic tones : 
 
 " Helena ! " 
 
 " Yes, grandmother."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 "Call Lotta." 
 
 I rose and went into the next room. We 
 called it our boudoir ; the floor was covered 
 with a soft, rich carpet ; my dead mother's fur- 
 niture stood there, and my flowers, and Lotta's 
 piano and easel. 
 
 " Lotta ! " I called ; for I did not at first see 
 her. She rose from the couch upon which she 
 was lying, and looked at me wifh her sad eyes, 
 whose deep lustre much weeping had not dark- 
 ened. 
 
 "What is it ?" she asked in her clear, ringing 
 tones. " Has any one come to see us ? " 
 
 " No, Lotta : grandmother wishes to speak to 
 us." She sighed, but followed me, and we went 
 back together to the other room. The old lady 
 regarded us sorrowfully and earnestly over the 
 rim of her glasses, then gave me the letter. 
 
 " Read, Helena," she said abruptly. 
 
 " From whom is it ? " asked Lotta. 
 
 " Wait, little princess," was the answer. "Sit 
 here, child, and you shall hear immediately." 
 Lotta made an impatient movement, but sank 
 obediently upon the nearest chair and bowed 
 her head upon her hands. She seemed very 
 submissive, but I knew only too well how to 
 interpret the quivering of her lips. 
 
 I began reading.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " DEAREST FRAU VON WERTHERN : 
 
 " I have been both shocked and saddened by your let- 
 ter What is man, I have asked myself, that he should 
 carry his head so high and think himself so great and 
 mighty ? A trifling accident overtakes him, and all his 
 pomp and splendor pass away. Alas ! dear Frau von 
 Werthern, it is hard to see any one die, but it is hardest 
 of all to see your own child go, when God calls him to 
 himself. And so in spirit I press your hand and say- 
 that I feel for you and mourn with you for your son. I 
 myself have lost three children, three great, spbndid boys, 
 but let that rest, dear friend. Your loss is much more 
 severe ; he was your only son. As to the rest of your 
 letter to me, I shall answer it at once. Life here is not 
 hard, living is not dear, and you can get rooms nothing 
 like apartments in the aristocratic quarter of Berlin, of 
 course but still cosey and comfortable. My Fritz has 
 reckoned that upon your income you can live here like the 
 Queen-Dowager herself, at any rate a great deal better 
 than in the capital. 
 
 " Five hundred thalers is quite a nice income for three 
 ladies, and if the girls are industrious about the house, 
 and you content yourself with one servant, you can throw 
 off all care. As far as we are concerned we shall always 
 be glad to assist you. I know a very nice lodging in our 
 immediate neighborhood, and if you and your grandchil- 
 dren should come, you shall stay with us until your new 
 home is put in order. 
 
 " How long it is since we saw each other last ! In those 
 days you were the centre and soul of us all, and 1, a young 
 and joyous wife. My dear husband was by my side and 
 my boys were small. 1 remember how we used to danca
 
 4 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 on the barn floor at Borsfeld, at the harvest home. But 
 now the leaves have fallen from the trees, dear Frau von 
 \Verthern, and the swallows have flown away ; Borsfeld 
 has passed into the hands of strangers, and the young and 
 jovial officer who danced so gayly with us in those days is 
 dead, and his daughters are left to your care. But " * 
 (here the letter came suddenly to an end, and the paper 
 was stained with the writer's tears). 
 
 " Fritz and I send hearty greeting to all. 
 
 " Faithfully your friend, 
 
 " FREDERICA R." 
 
 Then came a postscript. 
 
 " The lodging of which I spoke rents for sixty thalers a 
 year." 
 
 " That is just right," nodded my grandmother, 
 after a long pause. " Sit down, Helena, and 
 write her to engage the lodgings, and say that I 
 thank her very much for her kind information." 
 
 "To whom shall I write?" I stammered, full 
 of fear, and we both stared vacantly into the old 
 lady's face as she went on quietly with her knit- 
 ting. 
 
 "To Frau Frederica Roden." 
 
 " Are we going to move there, grandmamma ? " 
 I said inquiringly. 
 
 " We are indeed, in October." 
 
 She let the knitting fall from her hands and 
 looked from me to Lotta. The face of my beau-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 tiful sister had become a dark red, and she sat 
 biting the end of her handkerchief. 
 
 " We cannot remain here," said the old lady 
 softly ; " this suite of rooms costs us our entire 
 annual income. In losing your father you also 
 lose your life of ease, for he surrendered the 
 residue of his fortune to Hans, in order to give 
 the boy another start in America. I hope you 
 both will submit and accommodate yourselves to 
 the inevitable, and will do all you can to assist 
 me in bearing the burden which God has laid 
 upon me at the edge of the grave. You too, 
 little princess, what do you say ? Give me your 
 hand." 
 
 The young girl arose and laid her hand for a 
 moment in the speaker's shrivelled palm, then 
 drew it hastily away and went out. From the 
 adjoining room a sharp sound came back to us, 
 half a laugh and half a sob, then all was still. I 
 sat at the writing-desk and held the pen with a 
 trembling hand. It seemed impossible for me to 
 write to this strange woman whom I did not 
 know, who lived in an unknown place whither 
 fate was sending us, and about which I knew 
 nothing except that it was near Borsfeld, the 
 ancient seat of the Werthern family, before *hty 
 were overtaken by misfortune. 
 
 When I had finally written the answer and
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 taken it to my grandmother for perusal, she 
 looked up at me with a troubled face. I have 
 never seen another pair of eyes as wise as hers 
 and I never saw any moisture in them or any 
 sign of weakness. Even on the day of my 
 father's funeral and he was her only son there 
 were no traces of tears. But I always loved to 
 look into those clear, honest, and faithful eyes, 
 for they inspired me with confidence and trust. 
 Her expression was severe, open, and self-reliant, 
 such as a woman always acquires when her hus- 
 band is only an overgrown child, and, instead of 
 a helpmeet, is a continual care and cross. 
 
 My grandfather had been such a child, thought- 
 less, violent, easily roused to anger, and warm- 
 hearted ; and he left to his wife the entire care 
 of the household and children. This was a fam- 
 ily trait with the Wertherns. 
 
 " It will do quite well, Helena," said my grand- 
 mother. " Now tell me what you think of our 
 plan." 
 
 " Anything will suit me," I answered, quite 
 surprised, for throughout my life I had so sel- 
 dom been asked for my opinion. 
 
 " That is well : you are certainly more reason- 
 able than Lotta. Yet she is not to blame that 
 she revolts from all this ; she is just like her 
 mother, who always was a madcap."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Lotta was my half-sister ; Hans, who was two 
 years her senior, was her full brother. I was the 
 eldest. I had never known my mother, for she 
 died when I was born. And scarcely a year and 
 a half later my father married a second time. 
 
 " She is only eighteen years old, grandmother," 
 I said apologetically. 
 
 " And you are quite aged ? " she answered 
 with a faint smile ; " two-and-twenty years is 
 certainly an advanced age." 
 
 " But I know the world which Lotta must now 
 leave, just when it is opening so attractively be- 
 fore her." 
 
 "Certainly it is hard," said my grandmother, 
 as she looked out into the quiet, aristocratic 
 street where our dwelling was situated. '' But," 
 she resumed, turning to me, " it is not the worst 
 thing that could happen. It would be worse for 
 us to remain here and starve under the eyes of 
 those who have known us in our better days ; 
 that would be a thousand times worse. When 
 one becomes as old as I, one knows that." And 
 she nodded her head in silence. 
 
 "Who must, has no option," she began again. 
 " To-morrow we will decide upon what furniture 
 we can afford to take with us, and will sell the 
 rest." 
 
 As she said this her voice trembled. It is very
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 sad to come to poverty ip one's old age after 
 having passed a long life of comfort. Hans was 
 the cause of it all. He was to blame for our 
 penniless condition, to blame for our father's 
 death, to blame that two portionless girls hung 
 like burrs upon an old woman who otherwise, 
 had she been alone, would have had sufficient to 
 keep her in comfort for the rest of her life. 
 The thought rushed in upon me : " You must 
 not allow it. You must do something for your- 
 self." 
 
 " Grandmother," I began hurriedly, " I will 
 not go to Rotenberg ; I will I will get a situa- 
 tion somewhere. You know I have taken charge 
 of the housekeeping here." 
 
 She shook her gray head. 
 
 " No, Helena, I cannot spare you ; you must 
 remain with me. And Lotta who is a mere 
 child yet, and any way not fit to take your place 
 I shall care for you both as long as I can. God 
 will do the rest. You must both remain with 
 me. Go now, and see that Lotta don't break 
 her heart weeping the poor baby." 
 
 I went to her, but did not find her weeping. 
 
 Her cheeks were feverishly red, and she had 
 a volume of Meyers 's Encyclopaedia in her hands. 
 When she saw me she cried, " O Helena, only 
 listen to this : ' Rotenberg, in the township of X,
 
 Two Daughters of ^ One Race. 
 
 district of T, a county town of five thousand 
 inhabitants ' Helena, do you grasp it ? ' five 
 thousand inhabitants ' ! ' The people are prin- 
 cipally engaged in agriculture and cattle-raising ; 
 there is a high-school, two churches, and a needle 
 factory ' Great heavens ! a needle factory, and 
 O wonder ! ' a ducal palace with a beautiful 
 park, which has, however, been uninhabited since 
 1815, when the ducal residence was removed to 
 Kerrburg ' ! " 
 
 She had read on with increasing excitement. 
 
 " God have mercy on me if I am to bury my- 
 self there ! " 
 
 " It may be very nice there, after all," I said 
 encouragingly. 
 
 " Very nice ! You good soul ! I generally 
 find that what is called ' very nice ' is sure to be 
 a dreadful bore." 
 
 " Don't borrow trouble, little princess ; it will 
 be better than we think." 
 
 She did not answer, but an ironical smile 
 played around her lips. 
 
 " I am going to the churchyard now," I said ; 
 " will you come with me ? " 
 
 She rose without a word, and took down her 
 black hat, and went to the mirror to put back th 
 dark curls which had fallen low over the fore* 
 head, and then took up her gloves,
 
 ro Tii'o Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Gloomily and with knit brows she walked by 
 my side, and numberless glances of admiration 
 were cast toward her by those whom we met on 
 our way. Even I could not abstain from looking 
 at her repeatedly. 
 
 Yes, my sister Lotta was undeniably the love- 
 liest, most charming creature in our great city, 
 so thought I, so thought we all, and, I almost 
 believe, so thought she herself. She had beer, 
 her father's darling, the favorite of us all, " the 
 little princess," as we had ever called her sinct 
 the day upon which she had taken her first steps. 
 I can see her yet in her pretty blue frock and 
 her dainty red shoes. From that time on I had 
 watched over her and cared for her like a 
 mother, but I was always astonished that this 
 dainty little creature could be my sister. 
 
 She always responded to my passionate tender- 
 ness with moods and tears, and sometimes with 
 stormy caresses, after the manner of spoiled 
 children who feel that they have us completely 
 in their power. In this way she invariably 
 carried her point. 
 
 After her mother's death, her earnest, enthu- 
 siastic affection concentrated itself upon Hans. 
 The two children made common cause against 
 their father, their grandmother, and myself. They 
 treated me as though I had not the right to be
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. \ \ 
 
 called sister, and seemed to forget that we had 
 the same father to love. They were always 
 united and ready to defend one another. When 
 the trouble with Hans began, when the knowl- 
 edge of his irregular life came home to us, and 
 he had violent scenes with his father, which ended 
 in a breach between the two, Lotta was just the 
 same and would believe nothing to his discredit. 
 And finally, when he was forced to quit the army 
 and go to America, she cried and fainted, and 
 seemed driven to despair. Even the death of 
 her father had not roused her from this painful 
 lethargy. All she said was that Hans would now 
 be altogether desolate ; and while grandmother 
 and I thought of him in bitterness of spirit, she 
 bemoaned his fate as though he were enduring a 
 hard, undeserved punishment. 
 
 The summer evening was closing in rapidly, 
 the last beams of the sun fell, glowing darkly, 
 upon the broad promenade, enveloping the count- 
 less throng of riders, carriages, and pedestrians in 
 its transparent glory. The leaves of the trees on 
 both sides of the street were gray with dust, and 
 even the shrubbery in the beautifully kept gar- 
 dens presented a similar grayish hue.- 
 
 " How suffocating it is," I remarked, but Lotta 
 did not seem to agree with me. Her dark eyes 
 gazed eagerly at this beautiful sunset picture
 
 1 2 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 now and then she responded to the greeting of 
 an acquaintance, bowing her head proudly, and 
 once she blushed slightly as an officer of the 
 Guards raised his hand in salutation as he rode 
 past. 
 
 " That is Eberhard von Stollen, Hans's best 
 friend," she said. " Poor Hans ! " 
 
 "And who is to blame for his ruin," I re- 
 sponded bitterly. 
 
 "To blame ! " she answered. "Our circum- 
 stances are to blame, our miserable circum- 
 stances. If we had a great fortune, Hans would 
 be the most honorable of men." 
 
 I was silent ; it was always the same answer. 
 At last the quiet green churchyard lay before us, 
 and a deep peace came over me. 
 
 Far behind lay the noise and clamor of the 
 streets. Only a few figures lingered at different 
 graves. In the middle path two old ladies 
 walked up and down ; the grayedigger had once 
 told us that they came there daily for a prome- 
 nade. It had always seemed to me queer that 
 they should select such a spot, but within the last 
 fortnight I had begun to understand it. Here 
 was peace and rest and hope, and the end of all 
 earthly strife. 
 
 We sat down quietly, side by side, on a little 
 bench before three mounds. Yonder my moth-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 13 
 
 er's, then Lotta's mother's, and now this new 
 grave of our father. 
 
 Neither of us wept ; there was defiance in our 
 hearts as we both thought of Hans. Did he 
 know of this new grave ? Had the sad news 
 already reached him, when he had scarcely set 
 foot on dry land ? 
 
 A severe, cruel message for him ! I could see 
 him in my mind's eye; how shocked he was as 
 he blamed himself for his father's sudden death. 
 I knew he would weep and tear his hair, and half 
 an hour after he would be whistling a merry love 
 song, or seeking any amusement which came in hi? 
 way. Incomprehensible, lovable, kindly Hans ! 
 
 Lotta rose suddenly and went to her father's 
 grave, where she kneeled down, throwing her 
 arms over the mound, and began to cry bitterly ; 
 her whole frame seemed to rise and sink in sup- 
 pressed agony. 
 
 For a quarter of an hour she remained in this 
 position, and I did not disturb her. At last she 
 arose and dried her eyes, saying : " There is no 
 help for it, we must just try and see what we can 
 make out of this wretched existence." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " I asked her. 
 
 She looked down with an expression of indif- 
 ference at the leaves beneath her feet, and re- 
 plied : " Hans always said that men were like
 
 i4 Two Daughters of One 
 
 the puppets in my child's theatre, and we pulled 
 the wires as we chose ; he was a perfect heathen 
 in his belief." 
 
 I looked at her questioningly. 
 
 " But I " she said sharply, rubbing her red 
 eyes as she spoke " will not be a puppet ; I will 
 not. I do not care to live this way any longer." 
 
 She turned away abruptly, and stepped out 
 from between the graves so quickly that I could 
 scarcely follow her. 
 
 We returned home in silence. When we arrived 
 there Lotta threw herself upon the sofa, and began 
 stroking and petting " Schnips," the dog which 
 Hans had left behind, and to whisper to him of 
 his master. When the animal heard the word 
 " master " he pricked up his ears and sprang for 
 the door, as if he waited for the familiar step, 
 then came back to Lotta and looked at her 
 questioningly with his wise, bright eyes. Then 
 she lifted the little animal up again, and stroked 
 his yellow hair. " No, I will not ! " I heard 
 her say once more. 
 
 The following weeks were passed in prepara- 
 tion for our change of residence. The old lady 
 sat in her own room and studied the plan of the 
 house at Rotenberg, laid her measuring-rule on 
 the chart and marked out the spot where each 
 piece of furniture was to be placed, and then
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 15 
 
 made up a list of what was to be sold, on a great 
 sheet of paper. 
 
 There was a fearful crying time whenever 
 Lotta learned that any favorite article was going 
 into the hands of strangers ; the dining-room 
 with its carved oak furniture was guarded, piece 
 by piece, by her, but to no purpose. It was not 
 possible for her to part with it, she said. 
 
 " We can part with it easiest of all," decided 
 my grandmother. " What we will keep are re- 
 membrances of your mother's ; that trumpery 
 there was bought by Wilhelm " so she named 
 my dead father " shortly after he became com- 
 mander of his regiment, because his new position 
 required him to keep up a certain state. I take 
 my dear old things, you have your boudoir ; we 
 will have only three rooms, so you must be con- 
 tented, Lotta." 
 
 But Lotta would not be comforted. On the 
 day when the dealer came to take away the 
 furniture, she lay upon the sofa positively ill 
 from weeping ; she sobbed day and night, and 
 was pale and miserable, and finally we were 
 obliged to send for a physician. 
 
 "Nerves!" said the kind old man. "She 
 must have change of air. It is a good thing she 
 is leaving Berlin ; country air far from' the large 
 city, that is what she needs."
 
 1 6 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 But I grew more anxious about her. On the 
 last evening of our stay in Berlin she cried inces- 
 santly. I sat down on the bed beside her and 
 took her small, hot hand in mine. 
 
 " Lotta, my dear sister," I begged, "have a 
 little confidence in me. Is it not true that you 
 are leaving something behind that " 
 
 "Yes, yes," she sobbed, "all my happi- 
 ness " 
 
 " And your heart, little princess ? " 
 
 " What nonsense ! " she answered in a changed 
 tone as she ceased weeping. 
 
 " I thought it must be so, because you are so 
 unhappy, and Hans's friend came into my mind ; 
 you know Eberhard von Stollen ? you have 
 danced with him very frequently, Lotta ? " She 
 did not answer immediately, but gave a low 
 laugh. "Why should I grieve over him ?" she 
 said finally ; " he has more debts than Hans had." 
 
 " I know that. But if you love him it is one 
 more reason for you to weep." 
 
 " I marry a poor man ? " she asked brusquely. 
 " Helena, you are foolish. It is so dreadful to 
 be poor ; it is such a calamity. Even if he was 
 a very god never ! No, there I would be a 
 puppet again, and to that I will never agree." 
 
 " Oh ! " I said, astonished, for my head 
 began to swim for the moment. She certainly
 
 Tn>o Daughters of One Race. 17 
 
 had received his very marked attentions with 
 pleasure. 
 
 "What crime have I committed?" she in- 
 quired. 
 
 " You certainly did not discourage him." 
 
 " That is true, while his uncle was still alive," 
 she remarked dryly. 
 
 I knew what that meant. The nephew had 
 been regarded as the old man's future heir ; but 
 now the uncle was dead, and the nephew had not 
 been remembered. 
 
 " So there are no prospects in that direction, 
 now," added Lotta with a yawn. 
 
 Such cool calculation affected me painfully. 
 
 " I believe you do love him, and that is what 
 you have been crying about." 
 
 " That is all your imagination," she answered 
 indifferently ; " I am not at all sentimental." 
 
 " Then I need not distress myself further," I 
 said coldly. 
 
 " Not at all," she answered shortly, and turned 
 her beautiful head to the other side. . 
 
 I turned away bewildered and entered my dead 
 father's room. The full moon cast her pale light 
 in at the windows from which the curtains had 
 already been removed, and showed me the blank, 
 empty walls. My heart was indescribably sad. 
 What had come over Charlotte in the last few
 
 1 8 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 weeks ? Had misfortune thrown these sombre 
 shadows over her young spirit, or were these 
 merely traits of an unlovely character which 
 manifested themselves for the first time, now that 
 the sun no longer shone upon our household ? 
 There are souls who are made tender and good 
 by misfortune, and there are souls whom suffer- 
 ing destroys. 
 
 I went to the window and looked out, trying 
 to find some reason for Charlotte's words, and 
 some excuse for her selfishness, but I could find 
 only one. She had been too much indulged, 
 too much pampered, by me, by our father, by 
 our grandmother, and, last of all, by society. 
 
 "Yes, certainly, we were to blame," I said to 
 myself musingly. " Helena, what would you 
 yourself have been, had the whole world lain 
 at your feet, as at those of your beautiful sister, 
 while your every wish was gratified even before 
 it was expressed ? Would you be the quiet, 
 demure, world-wise, old-fashioned little woman 
 that you are now ? " 
 
 It had been no light task to grow so sensible 
 before my time ; life had as many attractions for 
 me as it had for her ; and oh, I should have 
 been so delighted to please and to shine in the 
 brilliant ballroom. But no ; in society I was 
 ever only Lotta's sister. The men called us
 
 Tu'o Daughters of One Race. 19 
 
 the beautiful Fraulein Werthern and "her 
 sister." 
 
 I heard myself so named once in conversation, 
 and the words fell from the lips of one to whose 
 laughter and chatting I had ever listened with 
 delight with too great delight. 
 
 " Her sister " and in such a tone, too. 
 
 And then a young married woman behind me 
 remarked that I dressed just like my beautiful 
 sister, but she queried, " Did you ever see any 
 two so unlike as those Werthern girls ? " 
 
 On that night I stood before the mirror for a 
 long time in my quiet room, and resolved never 
 again to make a ballroom toilet, and I had kept 
 my word. It seemed as though now for the first 
 time I had wakened to a knowledge or distrust 
 of myself. I found that my father, my grand- 
 mother, Hans, even the servants, all looked on 
 me as " her sister." Lotta Lotta was ever and 
 always first, and I had unconsciously always con- 
 ceded the first place to her. 
 
 For a time I was very sad, but I quickly 
 conquered all such feelings, and, strong in my 
 determination to be of use, soon found myself 
 necessary to all as house-mother and general 
 adviser. Many a time the old hopeless longing 
 for a life of gayety came over me ; then I would 
 leave my housekeeping and my darning and go
 
 Daughters of One Race. 
 
 away to my room, to bury my tearful eyes in my 
 pillow. And after I had had my cry out, it 
 seemed an easy matter to array the little princess 
 for the ball and then take up again my house- 
 hold cares. As time passed I became happier 
 and more contented until the misfortunes 
 came : our father dead, our brother far away 
 and miserable, and we without means, quite with- 
 out means when our aged grandmother should 
 have passed away. 
 
 How fearful, how desolate lay our future 
 before me ! 
 
 As I stood at the window in the moonlight, 
 on this last night in my old home, I looked down 
 into the small court at the acacia that had been 
 my father's delight ; it was leafless now. The 
 tree had always made me sad ; it seemed like a 
 prisoner shut in between the gray walls of the 
 back building ; to-night I thought there was no 
 more beautiful outlook in the whole world. I 
 felt I could not part from that lonely tree, upon 
 which strange eyes would so soon look from out 
 *his very window.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 YES, the parting was harder for us than we 
 had imagined, although we left nothing behind 
 but the dead past. 
 
 There had been frost that morning, and the 
 air was keen as we drove through the slumbering 
 city to the station. 
 
 We had taken leave of no one, and had been 
 careful to conceal the hour of our departure ; 
 so we were left unmolested, and could care for 
 our baggage and slip into a third-class carriage 
 v.'ithout notice. Lotta, who had paid out her 
 last bit of pocket-money for a dog's ticket for 
 " Schnips," sat like a sacrificial lamb upon one 
 of the hard seats ; she was very pale, but there 
 were no tears to-day. I made my grandmother 
 as comfortable as I could with a pillow for a seat 
 and a cushion for her back, and placed a stool 
 under her feet. 
 
 Lotta never stirred ; she looked straight ahead 
 at the mass of houses through which the train 
 cut its way, holding fast in her hands a great
 
 22 Tu'o Daughters of One Race, 
 
 bunch of violets which had been left for her the 
 evening before with a card adorned with a coat- 
 of-arms. As the train passed the few last strag- 
 gling houses she threw the flowers out of the 
 window with a violent movement, as though she 
 would carry with her no reminder of what she 
 had left behind. Then she took a deep breath, 
 pulled her veil down over her face, and laid her 
 head back, and so remained during her whole 
 long journey. 
 
 The landscape became more beautiful as we 
 sped on our way ; we soon left the plains behind 
 and entered a rolling country. The little vil- 
 lages peeping out from the gay foliage of the 
 autumn-tinted woods was an agreeable sight, 
 with the cloudless blue of the heavens over- 
 head. 
 
 It was the first clear day after a long rainy 
 season, September's parting greeting. 
 
 All around us was so bright that my heart 
 gained courage, and I soon found myself again 
 making plans and building castles in the air. 
 Who knows what Fortune might have in store 
 for us at our journey's end ? Perhaps she already 
 sat at the entrance of our little dwelling, and 
 only waited for our arrival to pelt us with roses.- 
 Lotta might find a prince, and our grandmother 
 perhaps renew her strength in the exhilarating
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 23 
 
 air and in the company of old acquaintances ; 
 and who knows but some day there would come 
 a knock on the chamber door, and who should 
 be there but Hans, come back to us again, quiet 
 and thoughtful, with all his frivolity left behind. 
 
 That would be best of all. Then I aroused 
 myself from my day-dreams, and moved nearer 
 to my grandmother, took her hand in mine, and 
 looked into the sad, faded face. " All will be 
 well yet," I said ; " all will be well ! " 
 
 The old lady nodded her head earnestly : 
 " And why not ? Still it is providential that the 
 future is hidden from us." 
 
 Before the sun sank we were at the end of our 
 railway journey. We stopped at Triebelsburg 
 the nearest station to Rotenberg to take the stage 
 to that village, for no railway went through it. 
 
 " Now comes the most trying part of our jour- 
 ney," said my grandmother. " I shall probably 
 be half dead when you lift me from this seat of 
 torture at Rotenberg, but it cannot be helped ; 
 so come on. Lotta, give me your arm ; Helena, 
 look after the luggage, and see it is safely placed 
 in that Noah's ark." 
 
 The long, narrow conveyance, drawn by two 
 worn-out horses, which met my eyes as I hurried 
 round the corner of the station, was no reassur- 
 ing spectacle.
 
 24 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 A little to one side, however, a pair of large, 
 well-fed dapple grays were pawing the gravel, 
 and on the box of the fine old coach sat a coach- 
 man dressed in a sort of livery. He was a 
 splendid-looking young fellow, and held his 
 whip, on which was fluttering a gay red ribbon, 
 as a sentinel holds his musket, whistling the 
 while a lively air. 
 
 I was greatly impressed with the appearance 
 of this equipage. I turned to look at it a 
 second time as I passed along, and said tp 
 myself, " If I only had that for grandmamma ! " 
 
 Just then some one stepped in between me 
 and the object of my admiration, and a man's 
 voice said : " Pardon me, madame, but have I 
 the honor of speaking to Fraulein von Werthern ? 
 I am Fritz Roden, and have come to take you to 
 Rotenberg. Our carriage is here." 
 
 I was pleased with his kindly manner from the 
 first word he had uttered, and laid my hand cor- 
 dially in the young man's extended palm. 
 
 It was a pair of honest, earnest eyes that 
 looked down at me in a half-embarrassed man- 
 ner, for Fritz Roden was a young giant and over 
 a head taller than I, although I was by no means 
 a small woman. These eyes looked out from 
 under a high forehead, above which the blond 
 hair lay in crisp curls, just as light and thick as
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 25 
 
 our own Hans's. I had the feeling that this was 
 not an entire stranger, and hastened to introduce 
 him to my grandmother and sister, who were 
 coming toward us, and who were rejoiced at the 
 sight of a comfortable carriage in which to make 
 the remainder of their journey, and to receive 
 such kindly attention on the threshold of their 
 new home. 
 
 Yet there was unquestionably something awk- 
 ward about this young man, for, as he now turned 
 to grandmamma and Lotta, he did not know 
 what to say ; he only stammered, and shook the 
 old lady by the hand as he would a young com- 
 rade ; and when Lotta, who had thrown back her 
 veil and looked him well over, greeted him with 
 a charming smile, he became so red that he was 
 almost purple, and turned hastily away to call 
 the carriage. 
 
 When we had taken our seats he declined, red- 
 dening still more, to take a seat by me Lotta 
 could never ride backwards but swung himself 
 up on the box by the coachman. 
 
 Lotta regarded the coachman, the horses, and 
 even the embroidered cover that lay on the car- 
 riage cushions, with the same cool glance that 
 she had bestowed upon Herr Roden. She found 
 a comfortable place for the dog, between her 
 grandmother and herself, drew her heavy black
 
 26 Tu'o Daughters of One Race. 
 
 veil over her pale face, in order to prevent her 
 hair from being blown about by the evening 
 wind, and then sank back into dreamland, as if 
 that were the proper place. 
 
 My grandmother slept, and Schnips laid his 
 head on Lotta's lap, blinked a little, and then 
 fell asleep also. The carriage went on steadily 
 toward its journey's end, the sun sank beneath 
 the horizon in fiery red, and the night came on 
 quickly. 
 
 I looked out into the distance so long and so 
 steadily that my eyes began to ache, and when 
 I turned to look at my companions I could only 
 see them through a haze. Fritz Roden was still 
 on the coachman's box, and had turned half way 
 around to look at Lotta ; and when I looked at 
 her I found she was staring at him also, but 
 with a defiant expression in her beautiful large 
 eyes, as if she would ask : " Who are you ? What 
 do you want ? Is it really worth the trouble to 
 observe you at all ? " 
 
 I could not understand her in the least ; my 
 feeling of happiness suddenly disappeared ; I 
 felt chilled, and her expression angered me, al- 
 though I could not tell why. 
 
 After a little while Lotta leaned over and 
 whispered laughingly in my ear : 
 
 " They are all of one stripe, Helena, the heavy
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 gray horses, and the great man in the top-boots 
 and jacket ; the horses will never run away, and 
 he- 
 She stopped abruptly, for at that moment Herr 
 Roden turned around to us and said : 
 " Now w<^ are almost home ! " 
 It had by this time grown quite dark. The 
 carriage went quickly through a dark lane, and 
 then rattled over a wretched stone pavement, so 
 that grandmother was aroused from her nap and 
 forced to sit erect. Now we passed houses with 
 bright lights shining through the windows ; then 
 went through a gateway on to a broad, level car- 
 riage sweep, overshadowed on either side by the 
 branches of fine old trees, and beyond through 
 the darkness I could discern a large rambling 
 building ; and to the right a wonderful medley 
 of walls and picturesque gables which reached 
 high up toward the dark evening sky ; then we 
 passed under another archway into the wide court. 
 Bright windows welcomed us, dogs barked 
 joyously around the carriage, which stopped 
 before the hospitable, wide-open door, and from 
 the entrance hall a little old lady came forward 
 hastily to greet us. 
 
 " Frau von Werthern ! " she cried, " what a 
 
 pleasure ! Ah ! and the two dear children " 
 
 The quiver in her voice told of the tears
 
 25 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 she kept back. And that was Fritz Roden's 
 mother. 
 
 I thought, as we delayed long at the bounti- 
 fully supplied table, I should never grow tired 
 looking at her kindly face. Ah, if I could only 
 describe all that its gentleness expressed to me. 
 We sat in a large room with low ceiling, and snow- 
 white curtains at its windows. The floor was of 
 boards and well polished. In the centre stood 
 the table, with its coverings of fine homespun 
 damask and its quaint old china. On the wall 
 hung a large clock, and under it stood a heavy 
 mahogany secretaire ; a great stove covered with 
 yellow Dutch tiles stood in the corner and kept 
 up a merry roar, and near by was a comfortable- 
 looking easy-chair. And then there was the 
 sprightly little hostess with her good face, and 
 the blue eyes in which every now and then 
 the tears glistened. 
 
 How carefully the big son guarded his mother, 
 as though she were a child, and how proudly 
 she glanced after her only boy when he crossed 
 the room, or when he in his quiet manner cor- 
 rected her hasty speech. There was no trace of 
 embarrassment here, where he was the master ; 
 his position seemed suddenly to give him a dig- 
 nity which sat well upon his youthful coun- 
 tenance.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 29 
 
 He stood behind his chair and asked a short 
 blessing, after which he took his seat opposite 
 his mother and carved the wild-fowl skilfully. 
 
 The two old ladies sat on either side of him, 
 and Lotta and I completed the little circle. 
 Lotta was silent, but no word or action of either 
 mother or son escaped her. 
 
 " One can readily see, Frau von VVerthern," 
 said our friendly hostess, " that these two dear 
 girls are only half-sisters ; they do not resemble 
 one another in the least." 
 
 " Yet a family resemblance is very percep- 
 tible," responded my grandmother, who was 
 always pained when any speech referring to the 
 dissimilarity in our appearance was made. 
 
 " Not the least vestige ! " declared Fritz 
 Roden as he took a deep draught from his glass. 
 " I believe it would be impossible to find one 
 point of resemblance ; the one is a blonde, the 
 other a brunette." Then he finished his glass 
 and arose. 
 
 " I hope you ladies will be pleased," he said 
 simply ; " in the first place with our house, but 
 more especially with your new home. You will 
 not find it so bad here, after all. Men with kind 
 hearts are to be found everywhere, and the sun 
 shines just as brightly over our little Rotenberg 
 as over Berlin's sea of houses. Our air is cer-
 
 30 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 tainly fresher, it blows over wood and field 
 before it gets into our streets, and the snow is 
 whiter and purer than in the great city, and 
 even the roses are brighter and more fragrant. 
 My heart's wish is that the roses of peace and 
 contentment may bloom here for you all. What 
 my mother and I are able to do for your com- 
 fort you may rest assured we will, and with all 
 our hearts." 
 
 He shook hands warmly with each of us, and 
 when he came to Lotta I noticed that the same 
 half-contemptuous smile played round her small 
 mouth, but he did not seem to perceive it. 
 
 Frau Roden had taken both my grandmother's 
 hands in her own, and her eyes were wet as she 
 whispered that they would strain every nerve to 
 make us comfortable in Rotenberg. 
 
 " Have you ^ver been in Berlin ? " Lotta sud- 
 denly asked the young man. 
 
 It was the first word that she had spoken, and 
 the vibrating tones of her voice seemed to strike 
 Frau Roden unpleasantly. 
 
 " I served my year in the army in that city," 
 Fritz answered quietly. 
 
 " In what regiment ? " 
 
 " In the loth Guards." 
 
 "In Hans's regiment ! " cried Lotta joyfully. 
 
 " I knew your brother," he said, and looked at
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 31 
 
 my grandmother critically, as though he feared 
 to wound her. 
 
 " He was, I suppose, your superior officer, and 
 you were doubtless in his company," said Lotta, 
 playing carelessly with her teaspoon on a fruit- 
 dish. 
 
 " You are almost right," he responded, smiling; 
 " he had just become an ensign." 
 
 " Hans has caused us great sorrow," began my 
 grandmother suddenly ; " he brought his sisters 
 to penury and sent his father to the grave. My 
 son accompanied him to Bremen, from which 
 port he sailed, and came back to Berlin ill from 
 excitement and grief. On the following day 
 heart disease ended his life." 
 
 There was a deathly stillness in the room after 
 my grandmother ceased speaking, only broken 
 by the clatter of the spoon which Lotta let fall 
 heavily on her plate. 
 
 " A hard accusation," Frau Roden said at last. 
 
 " But a just one," responded the old lady ; 
 "he was a gambler." 
 
 Lotta rose suddenly (like a wounded doe), and 
 her great eyes filled with tears. 
 
 " I knew nothing of that," said Fritz Roden. 
 " I only know that once he gave his last piece of 
 money to a poor soldier, in order that he might 
 go home to bury his poor mother, and that he
 
 32 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 plunged blindly into the Spree in order to save 
 one who was wearied of life." 
 
 He looked toward Lotta as he spoke, and was 
 answered by a glance so grateful and so warm 
 that he became silent from embarrassment and 
 looked into his glass. 
 
 "Yes, that was Hans," she cried, "and I know 
 many more just such instances. But such infre- 
 quent occurrences are altogether out of the 
 common track, and are rejected and despised as 
 worthless to-day. Hans was a man who " 
 
 " Who was very inconsiderate," said my grand- 
 mother, completing the sentence, "just those 
 traits which you emphasize show a lack of any 
 earnestness and of any mature reflection. There 
 is an old proverb : ' Over-great goodness is no 
 goodness ! ' ' 
 
 Lotta was silent, but she looked over toward 
 the young man as if she expected help. But 
 when he did not speak, and only nodded his head 
 as if in approval, the old contemptuous smile 
 came back to her lips, and she leaned back in 
 her chair without any attempt to renew or sus- 
 tain the conversation. 
 
 Frati Roden and my grandmother continued 
 talking earnestly together until the clock struck 
 ten. 
 
 My grandmother rose immediately. Candle?
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 33 
 
 were brought to us in heavy brass sticks, and we 
 were led through a great cold hall, which had 
 about it a decided aroma of fresh milk, and up 
 the broad stairs to the story above. 
 
 Fritz Roden accompanied us thus far, and 
 then turned and once more wished us happiness 
 in our Rotenberg abode, and at the same time 
 bade us good-night. Then he whistled to his 
 great hunting-dog, who had lain near him all 
 evening, and went out. 
 
 " He always goes out the last thing before 
 retiring, to see that all is right for the night," 
 explained his mother proudly. " When my dear 
 husband died, and he took charge of the estate, 
 I was at first very anxious as to how it would all 
 be managed, for Fritz was very young then ; 
 but all went on as quietly and smoothly thank 
 God ! as we could desire. The only thing he 
 needs now is a wife, for I am beginning to 
 realize that I am not now as capable as in other 
 days, and prove at times of little assistance to 
 him. But please turn to the left, Frau von 
 Werthern." 
 
 The large, square hall through which we were 
 passing was lined with wardrobes and chests of 
 drawers, and from it we entered our sleeping- 
 apartments, where the high snow-white beds in- 
 vited us to repose. 
 3
 
 54 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Here, too, was a crackling wood fire in r 
 Dutch stove a wise protection against the kee 
 autumn air. A pleasant smell of lavender pe 
 vaded the room. Everything was as cosey am 
 snug as in the room we had just quitted. 
 
 Our grandmother was to have a room with a 
 single window next to ours. And now our kind 
 hostess asked us a thousand questions. Whether 
 we preferred separate beds, or would we share 
 one ? Would we like milk or coffee in the morn- 
 ing ? She promised to take us all to our new 
 dwelling early the next day ; it was near her own 
 home, and she had been particularly anxious to 
 have us near her. And the rooms were very 
 pretty ; they had been occupied formerly by a 
 part of the prince's household. 
 
 The building had been called the " Cavalier's 
 House," and had been built by one of the reign- 
 ing family, a splendor-loving man with a taste 
 for rococo, who was used to entertain such 
 quantities of guests that even the rooms at the 
 castle were not sufficient for their accommoda- 
 tion. The " Cavalier's House " was just oppo- 
 site the castle, and on its second floor was this 
 little suite of rooms where old documents had 
 been kept. And Fritz had written immediately 
 to see if they could be rented. And sure enough 
 we "found that they could, and the rent went to
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 35 
 
 the Children's Home which the duchess had 
 recently founded. 
 
 "Yes, that's the way it was." To be sure the 
 walls looked a little dingy, but the beautiful 
 wainscoting looked very well again, since Han- 
 nah and Rieke had rubbed it well and polished 
 it with wax. Everything, she assured us, looked 
 most inviting now, and from the back room was 
 a view into the garden. In the spring time that 
 garden was one mass of purple lilacs, with their 
 heavy perfume scenting the air, and just in the 
 corner all the nightingales of Rotenberg assem- 
 bled. 
 
 And then she wished us many times a restful, 
 refreshing night, and said that the young ladies 
 must have a care about their dreams, for they 
 would surely dream about their future bride- 
 grooms, and all such dreams would come 
 true. 
 
 Then she went out and shut the door softly, 
 as if we were already in deep slumber. 
 
 " Good-night ! " said our grandmother, and 
 went into her little room, and we began silently 
 to prepare for the night. Lotta was still sitting 
 in her white dressing-sacque on the edge of her 
 bed, brushing her thick black hair, long after I 
 had retired, and, when I was half asleep, sud- 
 denly I heard her laugh softly.
 
 36 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 i 
 
 " What is it, little princess ? " 1 asked, arous- 
 ing myself. 
 
 She caiije over to me and sat on the edge of 
 my bed, and asked me to braid her hair for 
 her. While I was dividing the long strands she 
 laughed again. 
 
 " Why are you laughing ? " I asked again. 
 
 " Because I am amused," she said, standing up, 
 and throwing the long braids back on her neck. 
 " I think we are all so beautifully adapted to this 
 idyllic existence ; I certainly am, at least. Good- 
 night, sister, do not dream of this excellent youth, 
 who has certainly come into this world a hun- 
 dred years too late. To-morrow I will read 
 ' Hermann and Dorothea' once more, and think 
 of ' the comely son and the careful housewife.' " 
 
 " I am pleased with everything here, Lotta," I 
 said sharply. 
 
 "Of course you are, you dear old soul," she 
 answered carelessly. " Everything is so ancient 
 and smells of the barnyard. You know you 
 always had a fancy for village tales." 
 
 " Hush, Lotta ! " 
 
 " Ah ! I have a longing for Berlin, a deadly 
 longing ! " and she sighed deeply. " If I remain 
 here I shall die. I know it ! " And with this 
 sorrowful prophecy she laid her head upon her 
 pillow and cried as if her heart would break.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 37 
 
 I was nearly asleep again when I heard her 
 call my name once more. 
 
 " What is it, Lotta are you ill ? " 
 
 But there sounded a low chuckle through the 
 room : " Helena, did you see the large leather 
 pocket, with its great heart of red morocco, which 
 the worthy housewife had hung under her apron ? 
 That is where she keeps her milk pennies ; she 
 sells the foamy liquid herself. What would you 
 think if ' the comely son ' fell in love with either 
 of us, and, when the wedding-day arrived, we 
 were given, as emblems of our dignity, not only 
 slippers and hoods, but also the penny bag ? " 
 And she laughed so merrily that I was perforce 
 obliged to laugh too, although I saw little to 
 excite mirth. Then I fell asleep, and, singularly 
 enough, I dreamed I was at a large, white milk- 
 table in the square hall, measuring with a glisten- 
 ing tin cup the fresh white milk, and near me lay 
 the penny bag, and on it flamed and glowed the 
 morocco heart ; and in my dream I was so happy 
 and calm and thoughtful. 
 
 Frau Roden had not said too much about our 
 future dwelling ; we had an abundance of room, 
 much more than we had possessed in our palmy 
 days. 
 
 To be sure, we had to mount a small flight of
 
 38 7u>o Daughters of One Race. 
 
 steps which led direct from the garden. In 
 former times this garden had been connected 
 with the castle park, but it was now a part of 
 the Roden estate. 
 
 Once above, we found ourselves in a small 
 vestibule ; the walls were ceiled with wood, and 
 three white and gilded doors led out from it into 
 our rooms. 
 
 On the ceiling of the small room which over- 
 looked the garden was a beautiful fresco framed 
 about with garlands of stucco, rosy Morning 
 in her bright and flowing robes, floating upon 
 the clouds, surrounded by cherubs scattering 
 flowers. Medallions adorned the corners. The 
 walls on the other hand, had simply been painted 
 white. The fireplace had been walled up ; and 
 back in the corner, as if ashamed of its own 
 shabbiness, stood a little rusty, round, sheet-iron 
 stove. 
 
 " The children will sleep here," my grand- 
 mother decided. 
 
 Frau Roden opened a door and called us to 
 come out upon a pretty little balcony, enclosed 
 by a lattice-work of wrought iron. 
 
 It was a magnificent prospect. The wide gar- 
 den, with bright, gay colors, lay at our feet, and 
 through the branches of the trees, half bereft of 
 their leaves, we caught a glimpse of the land
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 39 
 
 beyond, and the blue mountains which lined the 
 far horizon. 
 
 " You can consider the part of the garden that 
 lies beneath us as your own property ; for you 
 will never be disturbed in it," said our genial 
 cicerone. " It is a romantic bit of wilderness, and 
 young people like that sort of thing. It was 
 always a most attractive place to my Fritz when 
 he was a boy. Whenever I went to seek him I 
 was sure to find him seated under one of the high 
 trees reading, but nowadays he has no time to 
 lie under trees with his books. But here, dearest 
 Frau von Werthern, these are the front rooms." 
 
 They were indeed two stately rooms, with high 
 windows, and rich stucco on the ceilings, and 
 in each room a comfortable-looking Dutch tile 
 stove. 
 
 " This is better than we had dared to expect," 
 said my grandmother joyfully. 
 
 " Yes, dear friend. Not every one could have 
 obtained these rooms. Or perhaps you think it 
 would have made no difference to Fritz and me, 
 who ran through our court and garden in order 
 to get up here ? Yes, Fraulein Lotta, that is a 
 very beautiful view, is it not ? Those splendid 
 rooms of the ducal castle opposite are the ones 
 which are always occupied when any of the fam- 
 ily come to Rotenberg. And see, there is Anita
 
 40 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 taking advantage of this beautiful autumn day 
 and throwing open all the windows." 
 
 I stepped over by Lotta and we both looked 
 across. We saw there a woman's figure leaning 
 out of a high window as she threw the green 
 Venetian blinds far back ; and from out the dim 
 room behind shone a rainbow-colored light, as a 
 sunbeam struck the crystals of the chandelier 
 and touched the rich gilt frames of the pictures. 
 
 Through the yellow silk hangings which the 
 wind blew apart we saw the graceful figure of a 
 tall, dark woman who stood at the window in 
 meditation. She did not seem very young to the 
 eye, but had a remarkably clear-cut face. There 
 was something very singular in her countenance, 
 and to me at least not altogether attractive. 
 
 " Who is it ? " asked Lotta and I in one 
 breath. 
 
 The face of the old lady assumed an angry 
 expression as she answered : " The adopted 
 daughter of the keeper of the chateau ; she 
 came either from Italy or Greece nobody knows 
 which when she was about seventeen years old, 
 I believe. The old governor was obliged tc. 
 adopt her, for " 
 
 She made a motion to my grandmother with 
 her hand, as if to say, " We will not talk of he 
 any more."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 41 
 
 "She interests me greatly," said Lotta. 
 
 " Ah, she is no companion for you," said Frau 
 Roden energetically, becoming very red in the 
 face. " If you want company, our pastor has a 
 fine little daughter, and the biirgermeister has 
 three all honest, good girls." 
 
 Lotta had turned around, and was looking with 
 surprise at the vehement speaker. 
 
 " I company ? I do not seek any here ! " 
 came slowly from her lips. 
 
 " Well, well," said the old lady appeasingly. 
 " You have misunderstood me, dear child there 
 was no harm meant. But you are entirely too 
 young to become a recluse, and youth seeks 
 youth. There are here, also, light young feet 
 that dance joyously, and over in the town hall at 
 carnival time there are beautiful dances and a 
 fine orchestra ; you ought to see my Fritz waltz. 
 Do not be angry, dear child ; so long as your 
 heart aches, of course you do not think of gaye- 
 ties. But, God willing, youthful pleasures and 
 joys will return to you." 
 
 Lotta had turned away at the first word, and 
 did not again cast a glance at the speaker, but 
 looked attentively toward the long row of win- 
 dows in the castle walls. 
 
 A low thicket extended along the wall and 
 the turnpike road which lay between it and our
 
 42 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 house and led to the so-called castle square upon 
 which the buildings fronted. This road termi- 
 nated at Fran Roden's grounds, the entrance to 
 which was concealed by a magnificent group of 
 old chestnut-trees. 
 
 After a little while my grandmother called me 
 into the second room, which she declared she 
 would occupy, and we began considering atten- 
 tively how we would place our furniture. We 
 consulted Frau Roden about a servant and a 
 speedy supply of fuel, and finally came back to 
 the front room, where Lotta still stood leaning 
 against the window like a black shadow. 
 
 I went up to her softly and put my arm around 
 her waist, but she did not move ;'she nodded 
 her head slightly, as though responding to some 
 one's greeting, and looking out I saw Fritz 
 Roden, with his gun over his shoulder and his 
 dog at his heels, and some wild birds in his 
 hunting-pouch. He had already replaced his 
 hat on his head, and went on toward his home, 
 looking neither to the right nor to the left. 
 
 " The bear ! " said Lotta, half aloud.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OUR first few weeks passed quickly. Our 
 furniture had arrived, and we were busily em- 
 ployed getting our rooms in order ; curtains now 
 hung at the windows, the floors were carpeted, 
 and grandmother's gigantic four-post bed, with 
 its red hangings, stood in a niche that seemed 
 to have been built on purpose for it in hel 
 room. 
 
 A bright wood fire burned in the stove ; my 
 sewing lay on a table near by ; grandmother 
 looked out of the window, and Lotta was at 
 her easel, while Schnips lay contentedly in his 
 basket near the stove. 
 
 Everything was as it had been in Berlin, and 
 yet how great the difference, I thought ; here all 
 was so much better, and my heart began to beat 
 quickly as I heard a heavy tread upon the wooden 
 step outside, and, a second later, a knock on the 
 door. 
 
 Lotta looked up from her canvas. " Goodness '
 
 44 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 there he is again ! " she muttered. Then the 
 door opened, and Fritz Roden stepped across 
 the threshold. 
 
 " Good-morning, ladies ! Good-morning, Frau 
 von Werthern ! " 
 
 He had three roses in his hand, which appeared 
 slightly frost-bitten, and he handed one to each 
 of us. 
 
 " These are the last," he said as he did so ; "I 
 found them in a sheltered spot, and now, how 
 are you all ? " 
 
 He drew a chair near the window, and, sitting 
 down, answered the question himself. 
 
 " Well ? Of course, how could you be other- 
 wise, living such a comfortable, quiet life ? " 
 
 " We are getting to feel quite at home, dear 
 Fritz, and we have you and your dear mother^ 
 my dear Frederica, to thank for it." 
 
 He became embarrassed, and made a slight 
 bow without speaking. Evidently he was not 
 accustomed to compliments. 
 
 " You have helped us so greatly in all our 
 arrangements," I said. 
 
 " How about the chimney in the other room ? " 
 he asked, leaning back ; " does it smoke yet ? " 
 
 " No, I thank you ; it seems to be all right 
 now." 
 
 Lotta gave her easel a slight push back ; sh<
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 45 
 
 was always impatient when household matters 
 were discussed. 
 
 " What are you painting now, Fraulein von 
 Werthern ? " inquired our guest, as he rose to 
 inspect the work on her easel. 
 
 " A glacier," she answered. 
 
 " Why do you not take some subject in our 
 immediate neighborhood the old Stettenburg, 
 for example, which frowns so defiantly from her 
 steep rocks ? " 
 
 " I paint what pleases me ; it is all a matter of 
 taste," she answered rudely, with a slight curl of 
 the upper lip. 
 
 "What do you do with all these pictures you 
 paint ? " he asked coolly. 
 
 Her color became a deep red and she gave 
 him an angry glance. 
 
 But he did not seem to perceive it ; he glanced 
 quickly at the walls, which were richly decorated 
 with Lotta's works. 
 
 " Ah ! " he said, " what a quantity, almost as 
 many as there are yonder in the rooms of Prince 
 Otto." 
 
 " Are there fine pictures over there ? " Lotta 
 asked, in an altered tone. 
 
 " I am no judge myself." said Fritz Roden, 
 taking his seat again ; " but I once heard a very 
 fine painter from Diisseldorf say and he was no
 
 46 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 loubt a judge that there were three or four very 
 line ones, but that the rest did not amount to 
 much. There are so many amateurs' pictures in 
 the collection. Prince Otto himself painted some 
 of them during the two years he spent here, was 
 obliged to spend here, in fact." 
 
 "Who is this Prince Otto?" asked my grand- 
 mother. 
 
 " He is the youngest son of our reigning 
 prince, and the favorite of his ducal mamma ; 
 otherwise he is to a certain extent the terror of 
 our neighborhood." 
 
 " What is the reason of that ? " Lotta was 
 greatly interested now. 
 
 Fritz Roden did not pay any attention to this 
 question, and changed the subject by asking my 
 grandmother how she liked the pastor. 
 
 Lotta sat quite still and gazed at the windows 
 of the castle opposite, behind which the rich 
 hangings glistened. 
 
 " Are those the rooms ? " she asked, interrupt- 
 ing our conversation. 
 
 " What rooms do you mean ? " he asked, 
 " those where the pictures hang ? " 
 
 " Yes, I miss the Berlin gallery greatly, for I 
 could always copy there," and Lotta rose sud- 
 denly from her seat. 
 
 " Why do you not paint from nature, Fraulein
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 47 
 
 von Werthern ? You do not know how many pict- 
 uresque views there are in this region ; and few 
 of them have been transferred to canvas as yet." 
 
 She shook her beautiful head. 
 
 " I prefer to copy. I wonder if I should be 
 allowed to see those pictures just once ? " 
 
 " Certainly ! The castle is open. If you de- 
 sire, I will go across with you at any time." 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! Let us go immediately," she 
 answered with animation. 
 
 " Immediately ? " he said, smiling ; " it is now 
 three o'clock, and will soon be dark." 
 
 " I beg you, let us go at once," and she went 
 quickly into the adjoining room and returned 
 soon, with her wrap thrown over her shoulders, 
 and a scarf on her head. 
 
 " Now I am ready," she said gayly. 
 
 " Will you not accompany us ? " asked Fritz, 
 as he held the door open to allow my sister to 
 pass out. 
 
 "Not this time, thank you," I said, "but I 
 will prepare the supper. Will you not return 
 and sup with us ? " 
 
 " I shall not have time to-night, Fraulein 
 Helena," he answered cordially. " I will come in 
 another time, perhaps to-morrow or the day 
 after. Farewell." 
 
 They went away, ancj I took up my basket of
 
 48 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 keys, and went into the small room that had 
 been placed at our disposal for a kitchen. I 
 realized suddenly that I was in a very disagreea- 
 ble frame of mind. For years I had been ac- 
 customed to be little considered, but to-day for 
 the first time something within me rebelled. I 
 would have given much God knows to have 
 been able to throw my bunch of keys at another's 
 feet, and have said to her : " Now you can toil 
 and moil with the prose of life ; you can make 
 the coffee and cut the bread ; I have no time, I 
 must away with my friends ! " 
 
 The little room was still as death ; only the 
 kitchen clock continued its regular ticking and 
 admonished me of my duty. 
 
 The tears which I could not keep back rushed 
 into my eyes and fell upon the brown coat of the 
 hare which lay on our kitchen table. Aimlessly 
 I stroked its soft fur. for I knew Fritz Roden 
 had laid it there. Scarcely a day passed in 
 which I did not have a similar surprise ; some- 
 times it was game, sometimes fowl, sometimes 
 delicious fresh butter. But to-day it seemed to 
 me like an insult, and I felt like throwing the 
 poor dead animal out of the window. 
 
 " It is revolting," I said aloud, " this obtrusive 
 charity." And I ill-naturedly took up the poor 
 object of my wrath, to hang it in a cool place,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 49 
 
 and there in the mouth of the little lifeless ani- 
 mal was a r^d rose. I could not help being 
 amused, and, as I laughed, I realized how silly I 
 had been, and quickly overcame my spiteful feel- 
 ings. So I took the rose and put it carefully in 
 water, and after a while I pinned it on my black 
 dress and went in to my grandmother, who noticed 
 it at once. 
 
 " Ah, ha, Helena ! " And as my face crim- 
 soned, she added teasingly : " You have already 
 made a conquest of his mother : I dare tell it to 
 you, for it will not make you vain, Helena. My 
 God, it would be great good fortune." 
 
 " Ah, grandmother," I stammered, breathless. 
 
 " I am very tired, child," she began again, and 
 stretched out her hand to me. " Now that all is 
 over, I know that the excitement and the sorrow 
 have been too much for me in my last years. 
 Ah, Helena, it would be great good fortune," she 
 repeated. 
 
 Then she nodded across at a wide-open win- 
 dow in the castle. There stood our little princess 
 and playfully threw kisses at us ; behind her we 
 could see the smiling face of Fritz Roden. 
 
 " She is very beautiful, our Lotta," said the 
 
 old lady. " I think she becomes more beautiful 
 
 every day." And then, fearful of wounding me, 
 
 she turned to me and said : " Beauty has many 
 
 4
 
 50 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 advantages, Helena, and yet " here she stroked 
 my hair softly with her hands, " and yet she is 
 no more to be envied than you." 
 
 I kissed her dear hands, I did not begrudge 
 Lotta a single charm. 
 
 October passed quickly, and the last of Novem- 
 ber was upon us, with its disagreeable, dark, misty 
 days, its storms and its rain. In Berlin such 
 weather was not unusual in the late autumn ; but 
 the gas-lighted streets, the heavy shutters on the 
 houses, and the protection the great mass of 
 buildings gave to one another, all prevented our 
 feeling so keenly the severe weather ; we had 
 never known how the storms came rushing down 
 from the mountains and roared around an iso- 
 lated house. In the city no high trees moan 
 and sob in front of the windows, and on bleak 
 nights no owl hoots from the steep-roofed 
 gables. 
 
 There are no ghost stories, no spirits that walk 
 about on stormy nights. In Berlin all had been 
 matter-of-fact and commonplace. But to me 
 there was poetry here in every nook. The wind 
 sang its wild songs, and I often lay awake far 
 into the night listening to it, and thinking of the 
 old stories and legends which Frau Roden had 
 told us about Rotenberg, when she had come in
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 51 
 
 at twilight for a little chat with her dear, dear 
 Fran von Werthern. 
 
 We took walks in the woods near by with Fritz 
 Roden, and he showed us the place where an old 
 castle had formerly stood ; but now a group of 
 blackthorn bushes grew on the mossy ground. 
 
 The woods were very still in their winter 
 sleep ; only the withered leaves rustled beneath 
 our feet, and sometimes a crow flew upward, 
 screaming ; but nothing else disturbed the perfect 
 quiet. 
 
 Whenever we came to the fir-trees, with their 
 keen, fresh odor, I was reminded of my child- 
 hood, and remembered with what ecstasy I had 
 greeted just such trees on many a Christmas 
 eve. And Fritz would often tell us, in his sim- 
 ple, honest manner, of the time when he, with his 
 brothers and comrades, had made here a knight's 
 fortress and there a robber's cave, or had hunted 
 the squirrels and gathered nuts ; and how, when 
 evening came, they would go home with red 
 cheeks and terrible appetites. Fritz said to this 
 day no apple tasted as sweet to him as one of 
 the pippins from his mother's cellar. 
 
 We were much together, indeed, daily. 
 
 It was settled that we were to dine every Sun- 
 day at the Rodens'. We must also help to eat 
 every Martlemas goose that was killed, and assist
 
 52 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 at the breakfast after a slaughtering. It was 
 very delightful to me, so homelike that I could 
 think of nothing more charming. How the wind 
 seemed to carry my feet as I went to the dear old 
 lady ; and she would ask my advice and question 
 me as to whether I was interested in this or in 
 that. And then she would stroke my cheeks and 
 say : " I like to see such color ; our air is cer- 
 tainly better than that in Berlin." 
 
 "Ah, a thousand times better," I answered, as 
 I followed the dear old soul around, much as 
 Schnips followed Lotta. Sometimes, in the even- 
 ings, Lotta and I would play duets ; the mother 
 and son would listen devoutly, and Frau Roden 
 would tell us of the songs of her youth, and how 
 fond she had been of singing " From the Alps 
 Resounds the Horn ; " and often Lotta would 
 forget her high and mighty manner and laugh as 
 heartily as any ol us. 
 
 Yes, those were happy days, in spite of the 
 care which had followed us from Berlin into our 
 modest little home, and the small income upon 
 which we were obliged to live. I was often forced 
 to go begging to my grandmother with empty 
 hands. 
 
 " Helena, Helena, we are living too well," she 
 said. " You must provide a simpler table." A 
 simpler table !
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 53 
 
 Grandmother's sight thank God was poor ; 
 she did not see how often Lotta's lip curled over 
 our "Lenten diet," as she called it. I was 
 always careful to give her the best the "able 
 offered ; but she grew more capricious in her 
 temper every day, nothing pleased her. 
 
 To me it was always spring, each day seemed 
 as bright and warm as May. There comes a 
 time in every life when there is just such bright- 
 ness, and every day is a festival. For the same 
 familiar steps sounded frequently upon the stair, 
 and when he came in the room it seemed to be 
 flooded with sunshine. 
 
 " It was a great, great piece of good fortune," 
 grandmother's eyes said constantly, as the care- 
 worn old lady leaned back in her easy-chair at 
 the window. 
 
 It was the first of December when I came 
 back from the village with Frau Roden, who 
 had already been making a few purchases for 
 Christmas. Wherever we went we were received 
 with a respect which bordered on reverence. 
 The whole existence of this woman was so fresh- 
 hearted, so healthy, so comfortable ; she never 
 gave to any one more than belonged to him, but 
 she was always so just to the people round 
 about, and always knew the right thing to say. 
 
 "Now we will go home," said Frau Roden at
 
 54 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 last, as we stepped out of the butcher's large 
 shop. " Positively, child, there is snow these are 
 the first flakes." 
 
 The air was indeed filled with the great white 
 stars, some of which were finding a resting-place 
 on the black ostrich plumes of Frau Roden's 
 bonnet. 
 
 " Now, dear child," continued the old lady as 
 we turned our faces homeward ; " Fritz has been 
 telling me how beautifully your little Lotta 
 paints. Why could she not turn her talent to 
 some account, in order to help you ? " 
 
 I stared at the speaker stupidly. 
 
 " I mean, sell the pictures," she explained. 
 
 " Lotta paint for money ? Never ! " I said 
 emphatically. 
 
 " So ? Never ? Well, you are harassed with 
 work, while the little princess dabbles in colors 
 at her pleasure. You are doing wrong." 
 
 " Ah, but Lotta is so peculiar," I said apolo- 
 getically. 
 
 " Peculiar ! Is she ? Well, then, what will she 
 do when you marry ? " 
 
 She looked at me so steadily that I felt embar- 
 rassed. 
 
 " Oh I ? " I stammered. 
 
 " Yes ; do you not think there are many men 
 who would like to possess so sensible a girl as
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 55 
 
 you ? What would a man want with such a 
 spoiled doll as Lotta is ? Good Heaven, what 
 would I do if such a little princess were to come 
 into my house ? I should at once declare that 
 my Fritz had lost his reason. Just imagine ! she 
 rises at nine o'clock, and spends her whole day in 
 painting, and playing with her dog. She never 
 thinks of giving him anything to eat, but she 
 fondles him by the hour. No, dear child, God 
 preserve every upright man from such a wife. 
 She is your sister, certainly but here we are home 
 again. Listen, dear Helena, it is my habit always 
 to have punch and roast apples the evening the 
 first snow appears. And I want your grand- 
 mother and Lotta and you to spend this first 
 evening of winter with us. And give Frau von 
 Werthern my greeting." 
 
 We were standing at her door, and I now said 
 "Good-by." 
 
 " Good-by," she said, and gave me a friendly 
 nod as she gathered her long silk mantle around 
 her and went up the steps ; and as I entered the 
 garden I turned around for one last look, and 
 saw her still standing there, and her son with 
 her. They both looked after me with a friendly 
 nod. 
 
 The old lady's words had moved me deeply ; 
 they came to me like a message from another
 
 56 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 world ; and while I walked under the bare trees 
 toward our dwelling, the thought which up to 
 this time I had with difficulty suppressed, took 
 possession of my heart with irresistible force. 
 
 I saw myself in the house yonder, before which 
 I had just been standing : I went through ail 
 the rooms ; and i knew I had a right to be there, 
 a sweet, holy right. I said " Mother " to a dear 
 old lady. I stood by her side by his side. 
 From the moment of our first meeting my heart 
 had turned to him. I, who had never had a love 
 passion and who had long believed myself beyond 
 all such youthful follies, was taken captive by 
 the earnest eyes and the still, quiet manner of 
 Fritz Roden. And to-day had not his own 
 mother said that I indeed might please a man, 
 might make him happy ? The warm blood 
 rushed to my cheeks, and I sat down, almost 
 dazed, on a stone seat under one of the lindens, 
 and looked with burning eyes across at the gables 
 of the great house. 
 
 Ah, " her sister ! " The Cinderella might be 
 pardoned for hoping, as countless women had 
 done before her, that happiness would come to 
 her too, if the man to whom her heart belonged 
 would choose her and lead her to a home of 
 comfort, peace, and joy. 
 
 " Ah, no, no ! for God's sake do not think of
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 57 
 
 it; do not," something within me whispered r 
 "the awakening would be too fearful." 
 
 "But I love him," whispered my heart; 
 " nothing can alter that ; I love him and shall 
 always be true to him. I love his just, unchange- 
 able nature, love him for his great, warm heart 
 and old-time dignity, I love Fritz Roden." 
 And I sprang up from the bench with glowing 
 cheeks, and hastened on through the fresh-fallen 
 snow, as though fleeing from myself, until I 
 stood with fluttering heart at my own door. 
 
 Within, I heard a strange, sharply accentuated 
 voice. As I entered, the small, dark daughter 
 of the keeper of the chateau rose and bowed. 
 A pair of gleaming, eager eyes looked out at 
 me like stars from beneath their long, dark 
 lashes. 
 
 These eyes were not faded, and were the only 
 youthful part of the small, pale countenance 
 whose sharp features must once have been ex- 
 tremely beautiful. 
 
 Lotta came to meet me with a joyful cry. 
 Fraulein Anita had brought to her permission 
 from the court chamberlain to copy at the castle 
 whenever she desired. 
 
 " At the castle ? " I said uneasily. " Will 
 they not intrust a picture to my sister that she 
 may paint here ? "
 
 58 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " I am very sorry," said Anita, " but that 
 would not be allowed." 
 
 " But the rooms are cold," I ventured to 
 demur. 
 
 " I am authorized to heat them," she answered 
 quietly. 
 
 " You will be afraid, little princess," I said 
 jestingly ; " for perhaps there is a white lady 
 haunting the rooms over there ; think if you 
 were alone " 
 
 " I will take the liberty to remain in the 
 adjoining room," interrupted her small, dark 
 visitor. 
 
 I remembered suddenly the words of Frau 
 Roden : " She is no companion for you, child." 
 
 " And I will take the liberty of accompanying 
 my sister," I said, as I looked at Anita, whose 
 eyes seemed to attempt to penetrate into my 
 very soul, as if she would ask : 
 
 " Who has told you about me, or my past ? 
 What do you know of human love and hate and 
 passion ? " 
 
 But she only said, " As you will," made me a 
 slight bow, and wished us, after an absent- 
 minded fashion, an Italian a rivederci, and was 
 gone.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 "LITTLE PRINCESS," I said to Lotta, who 
 stood with sparkling eyes before her easel, " I 
 think it is hardly the thing for you to go over 
 there to paint." 
 
 " Because you begrudge me the most trifling 
 diversion," said Lotta, as her beautiful face be- 
 came pale. " Because you do not at all under- 
 stand how I smother and suffer in this seclusion, 
 in this hiding-place, neither you nor grand- 
 mother nor any one else. You cannot conceive 
 what I endure. You cook and bake and are 
 highly delighted if you make a good pudding, 
 and I oh, I stifle ! " 
 
 And she sank upon a chair, and began weep- 
 ing so bitterly that grandmother came out fright- 
 ened from her own room. 
 
 " Why, Lotta ! " was all she said. 
 
 But Lotta had worked herself into a passion ; 
 she raised her tear-stained face, and the words 
 fairly streamed from her mouth. " What is our 
 life here ? We rise early, and then spend our 
 evenings sleeping, and in between times one long,
 
 60 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 endless span of weariness. And what do I hear ? 
 Helena's ceaseless questions about the house- 
 keeping expenses, or a chapter from Scott or 
 Frederika Bremer. Who comes to see us ? 
 The sober wiseacre, who oh, how I hate him, 
 this village bear ! or do you think it is a pleas- 
 ure for me to see that egregious pedant from 
 across the garden coming in, in his top-boots, to 
 drink a cup of coffee or take a walk with us ? 
 What is there to see in this town ? What do 1 
 care that the pastor lives yonder, and the biir- 
 germeister here, or that Martin Luther compared 
 this handful of red roofs amid the trees to a 
 dish of boiled lobster dressed with parsley ? Do 
 you think it any pleasure to me to listen to that 
 preacher on Sundays with no teeth in his mouth ? 
 it's enough to bring sinful thoughts into one's 
 head to hear him. Or to admire the countrified 
 toilets of the Rotenberg fine dames ? Surely 
 not. Oh, I hate this crow's nest, this owl's re- 
 treat, until I am nearly driven to despair. And 
 now I am not to be permitted to go to the castle, 
 because that woman has a history. Can that 
 injure me ? Am I, then, a child ? " 
 
 And she stopped for lack of breath. 
 
 " Ah, little princess," I begged anxiously. 
 
 " Let me do as I please," she threatened, " or 
 I shall do something desperate."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 61 
 
 " Well, well, you little fury," said our grand- 
 mother, smiling, " what would you do, for 
 example ? " 
 
 " Oh, there are many things possible," said the 
 girl crossly. " Think how Erna von Wallinitz 
 married a beer-brewer out of despair." 
 
 I laughed heartily at this, but my grand- 
 mother answered, half earnestly, " She made a 
 respectable match ; he is an honest, intelligent 
 man." 
 
 Lotta shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " You will not prevent my going over there," 
 she asked, half commandingly, half questioningly, 
 " or " 
 
 " Or you will marry a beer-brewer," said my 
 grandmother jestingly, as she took up her knit- 
 ting again. 
 
 " Oh, there is also the gawky agriculturist," 
 murmured Lotta, and she threw a glance at me 
 that seemed to strike to my very heart. Sud- 
 denly she flew to me and threw her arms around 
 my neck. " No, Helena, that is impossible ! 
 that is impossible ! " And she laughed. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " I asked severely, as 
 she laid her inconsiderate hand on my heart's 
 secret. 
 
 " What do I mean ? What a dissembler you 
 are, after all, Helena." And she laughed merrily.
 
 62 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 "But, never mind, sister mine, you shall not be 
 teased." 
 
 I had told grandmother and Lotta of our invi- 
 tation to the roast-apple feast. 
 
 My grandmother was not well enough to go, 
 and Lotta had no desire. 
 
 " It is such a bore," she sighed. " I beg you 
 to spare me these heathenish rites and solemn 
 discourses. You can listen to it all, Helena, 
 and eat the roast apples for me." 
 
 "And how will you spend the evening?" 
 
 "Sleeping," she laughed, "what else? I wish 
 you much pleasure, sister Helena, and present 
 my compliments to your " 
 
 " Lotta ! " I said sharply. 
 
 " Well, good-night," she said, yawning, as she 
 threw herself upon the sofa and took up a book. 
 
 I stood for a while before the mirror in my 
 bedroom and studied my face ; had I then no 
 beauty whatever ? 
 
 " Too much color," my grandmother had al- 
 ways said. " Her hair has no distinct shade at 
 all," my stepmother had once remarked. 
 
 Certainly I was not at all like Lotta : but no 
 one could be as beautiful as she. I smoothed 
 back my simply arranged hair and felt the thick 
 knot at the back, then I fastened on my cloak, 
 sighing. What maiden is beautiful enough in
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 63 
 
 her own eyes when she wants to please her 
 lover ? 
 
 It was already late, and I hastened through 
 the garden and across the court ; the December 
 wind howled dismally through the high trees, and 
 hastened my footsteps ; I went quickly into the 
 vestibule, and could scarcely shut the door. 
 
 " Here you are ! " said Frau Roden, " all alone, 
 through the night and wind." 
 
 And she led me kindly into the warm, bright 
 sitting-room, where upon the snow-white covered 
 table were the punch glasses, the spice cake, and 
 the fine large roasted apples. 
 
 I made my excuses for my sister as best I 
 could. 
 
 " Just say Lotta would not come, dear child. 
 Always be honest ! Had I invited her to a box 
 in the theatre at Berlin instead of my own sitting- 
 room here, she would have been well -enough 
 to go. Well, I thank you all the more for 
 coming." 
 
 I looked at her in surprise. Upon her face 
 was a deep flush, and the manner in which she 
 rattled the platter and glasses, and then sat down 
 in the corner of the sofa, knitting rapidly, had an 
 energy and haste about it that was foreign to her. 
 
 " Sit down, my good child ; my son will be in 
 immediately."
 
 64 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 And she drew me down beside her on the 
 sofa. 
 
 " Are you not well, Frau Roden ? " I asked, 
 for her hands were trembling. 
 
 "Well enough," she answered, "but I can- 
 not tell you. We think we are swimming on a sea 
 as clear as glass, and forget that there are storms, 
 and lo ! there blows a hurricane in our faces ; 
 as if an ocean without waves, a life without strife, 
 were possible. But when the storms come from 
 the side," she broke off, and was silent for 
 some time. Then she began again : " The ex- 
 perience we gather in our life's journey ne 
 would willingly give to our children. We would 
 gladly stand by their side with counsel and aid ; 
 but youth will go its own way, throwing the 
 gathered gold to the four winds, and then seek- 
 ing with much trouble and disappointment fresh 
 nuggets which have never been tested in the 
 crucible. 
 
 " It has to be," she continued, " but I feel un- 
 speakably sorry for him, for her, and for us all. 
 
 " There he comes," she added, sitting erect, 
 and trying to control herself, while I felt my 
 heart throb as if it would burst. 
 
 The next moment he was in the room. 
 
 " Alone ? " was his first question, as he gave 
 me his hand.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 65 
 
 " The little princess had something better to 
 do," said his mother. 
 
 He seated himself silently, but his face was 
 dark. 
 
 Several minutes passed, during which no word 
 broke the painful silence. At last he rose, rang/ 
 and ordered the punch to be brought in, then 
 filled the glasses and passed them to us. Then 
 he reached his right hand across the table to his 
 mother, and looked at her with a supplicating 
 glance. 
 
 She began knitting rapidly again, but from her 
 mild blue eyes I saw the tears fall upon her work. 
 " Mother ! " he said beseechingly. 
 
 Then she leaned across the table and whis- 
 pered something in his ear. I did not hear what 
 it was, but I caught a few words, whose signifi- 
 cance I did not then understand. 
 
 " The other, Fritz, the other ! " 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 " The other ! " she begged once more. 
 
 But he did not stir ; his hand, however, still lay 
 on the tablecloth, waiting to grasp his mother's. 
 
 " Let us talk it over to-morrow, Fritz," she 
 said, greatly agitated, as she seated herself again. 
 
 He remained inflexible. 
 
 " Give me your hand," he begged; " it cannot 
 be otherwise, never ! "
 
 66 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 She laid her hand in his for a moment, then 
 hastily raised her handkerchief to her eyes and 
 left the room sobbing, and we were alone. We 
 could hear the wind rattling the wooden shut- 
 ters, and moaning through the leafless tops of the 
 chestnut-trees ; here within was light and warmth 
 and two young throbbing hearts ; he and I, just 
 as I had pictured it a thousand times. He took 
 his glass and pushed mine toward me. 
 
 " Drink your punch, Helena," he said inatten- 
 tively. 
 
 Our eyes met for a moment, he looking like 
 one intoxicated. 
 
 " Helena," he began hesitatingly, and with a 
 sound in his voice that made me lean my head 
 back, almost breathless with happiness ! " He- 
 lena, let us be honest toward one another." 
 
 " Surely ! " I said. 
 
 He rose, and began to walk up and down the 
 room. 
 
 " Why did not Lotta come ? " he said abruptly, 
 stopping before me. 
 
 As I glanced at him, the intense look on his 
 face embarrassed me. 
 
 " She I believe she is not well," I stam- 
 mered. 
 
 He turned away, and began again striding rap- 
 idly up and down the room. At last he came
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 67 
 
 back, sat down opposite to me, and seized my 
 hands. But he let them fall immediately, as his 
 mother at this moment entered the room. 
 
 <4 1 will see you later," he muttered, and went 
 out. 
 
 " You wonder what has come over us all," 
 began my hostess. " I may as well tell you at 
 once, for it concerns you too. Fritz are you 
 ill ? " she asked anxiously. 
 
 " Ah, Helena, I had wished it otherwise, my 
 dear child ; you must know that Fritz loves your 
 sister ! " 
 
 Presence of mind in distress was a trait that 
 had come to me from my father. The presage 
 of happiness had made me feel so weak I had 
 nearly fainted ; now I turned calmly toward the 
 tear-stained face that was regarding me so 
 anxiously. She took my hand, thinking from 
 my fixed stare that I was astounded. 
 
 " Ah, you are surprised, dear heart," she con- 
 tinued, as the tears still fell on her cheeks. " I 
 was also surprised when I heard it. We were 
 standing on the steps, looking after you to-day, 
 and I said why may fnot tell you ? ' Fritz, that 
 is a girl after my own heart.' Then he became 
 pale, and turned suddenly and left me. But 
 when I was resting in my easy-chair between 
 five and six o'clock, taking my twilight nap, he
 
 68 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 came in and sat down on a stool at my feet, as 
 had been his habit when a child, but not of late 
 years, and then but love makes fools of the 
 most rational. She has certainly turned his 
 brain. From the first moment that he had set 
 eyes on Lotta, he had been resolved, he told me. 
 When she threw back the veil from her travelling 
 hat, he had been dazzled by her beauty. At 
 first he said she would be no suitable wife for 
 him, it would be madness ; but now he sees 
 clearly that life would be nothing without her. 
 Ah, child, what can a distressed mother do ? If 
 she should bring the stars down from the heavens 
 and lay them at his feet, he would yet want the 
 one thing the girl he loved. Ah, I know how 
 it will end ; he will be unhappy, very unhappy ; 
 but he will not be advised." 
 
 " Do you believe that Lotta returns his affec- 
 tion ? " I asked quietly. 
 
 " No ! But what does that matter ? She will 
 become his wife for his money." 
 
 I was silent. Lotta's words came into my 
 mind : " It is so dreadful to be poor ! " 
 
 " I must go home," I said, and rose. I felt 
 almost suffocated. Frau Roden dried her eyes 
 and helped me on with my cloak. 
 
 " Dear, good child," she said, and patted me 
 on the cheeks, " I have loved you dearly ; we
 
 Twv Diiigniers of One Race. 69 
 
 will hold together ; I have had a presentiment 
 that with your family a change would come into 
 my life but this is not the change I looked for- 
 ward to." 
 
 As I entered the hall, I saw Fritz Roden stand- 
 ing there with his coat and hat on. 
 
 " I will accompany you," he said, and we went 
 out together. The wind had gone down, and, 
 looking up through the leafless branches of the 
 trees, we could see the moon in its splendor, 
 peeping out from beneath the dark clouds. A 
 deathly stillness reigned over the house and gar- 
 den, an unspeakable anguish was in my heart. 
 I went on quickly ; only to be alone with my 
 torturing pain ! Only to be alone ! 
 
 " Helena," he began, "you know all. Are you 
 angry with me ? " 
 
 Angry that he loved Lotta ! This one ques- 
 tion showed me my error, my foolish hopes, in a 
 glaring light. Love me, notice me, when she was 
 near ! " No, certainly not," I answered bitterly. 
 
 " Will you speak to her for me ? " he asked. 
 
 And as I remained silent, he begged me 
 urgently. " I cannot do it, Helena. When she 
 looks at me from under her long lashes, it's all up 
 with me. I am diffident and awkward ; you tell 
 her how much I love her, and that I will fulfil 
 her every wish ; she shall never stumble over
 
 70 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 the rough places in this life ; I will take her in 
 my arms and carry her over them all over them 
 all over them all, Helena." 
 
 He had seized my hand and forced me to stop. 
 The moon was shining down full into his face, 
 and I saw his earnest, loving eyes, and saw, too, 
 ho\v his mouth twitched nervously. And once 
 more he repeated earnestly : 
 
 " Over them all, Helena ! " 
 
 " I will do what I can," I said, scarcely capa- 
 ble of speech. 
 
 " Ah, thank you, Helena, thank you ! " he 
 cried, seizing my right hand. " If you knew what 
 sleepless nights I have passed on her account, 
 what a martyrdom I have lived through since I 
 first saw her ! A hundred times was I on the 
 way to reveal my secret to you ; she loves you 
 so tenderly." 
 
 " I must go home," I stammered, trying to 
 free my hand from his, but he held it the more 
 tightly. 
 
 " Do not let me wait too long for an answer," 
 he begged ; " speak to Lotta soon, to-night if 
 possible," and he trembled as he spoke. " I am 
 not such an impatient man, .Helena, but this sus- 
 pense grates on every nerve. I am like a man on 
 the rack. You will speak to her immediately, 
 will you not ? "
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 71 
 
 " And if Lotta does not return your love ? " 
 
 He stared -at me. " That is not possible : 
 This affection cannot be one-sided ; it is too 
 strong, too earnest and true, Helena ! " 
 
 I must have laughed bitterly at this, for he 
 looked suspiciously in my face. " What I say 
 has a presumptuous sound, has it not ? " he con- 
 tinued, " but I believe I am almost sure, in fact 
 that Lotta is not indifferent to me. You have 
 never thought about it at all, Helena ; only a 
 lover's heart can discover when his passion is 
 returned. But go now, and be my good 
 angel ! " 
 
 He pressed my hand again. " To-morrow, 
 early, send me a single line ; good-night ! " 
 
 I groped my way up the dark steps ; but my 
 feet suddenly refused to do me further service, 
 so I sat down on a stair and tried to become 
 master of my storm-tossed thoughts. My first 
 thought was one of shame and intense mortifica- 
 tion. What could have possessed me, vain, pre- 
 sumptious, foolish creature that I was ? Each day 
 since coming to this place did I live over again 
 every meeting with him, and I could find no 
 moment when he had given me reason to believe 
 he loved me. To Lotta he had come, with Lotta 
 he had gone, for Lotta only he had had eyes ; 
 I had only been looked upon as " her sister," as
 
 72 Two Daughters of One Rate. 
 
 the guardian or nurse of the little princess. Ah, 
 Lotta, I begrudge you no happiness ; only not 
 this only not this ! And now I must go in 
 and speak with her. As if Fate had not made 
 the drink bitter enough for me. What had I 
 done that God took from me all the roses, and 
 left me only the thorns ? 
 
 So I sat in the cold upon the steps, with my 
 feet like ice, and my head and the palms of my 
 hands burning. I was almost strangled with 
 shame and anger, but could neither find tears 
 nor words to comfort myself. 
 
 Why had I come here ? Why ? At last I rose, 
 feeling stiff in all my limbs, and went in through 
 the family room to our bedchamber. A lamp 
 which was suspended from the centre of the ceil- 
 ing was burning. Lotta could not sleep without 
 a light, and she had saved this one by tears and 
 pleadings from the Berlin auction-rooms. It 
 threw a rosy glow through its delicate Bohemian 
 glass shade upon the frescoes and stucco gar- 
 lands on the wall and upon my mother's furni- 
 ture. All was noiseless within, and Lotta was 
 sleeping; she lay on her white pillow, and the 
 hair, which I did not braid this evening, was 
 tumbled back in a confused mass. She breathed 
 so softly that one could hardly be sure there was 
 life in the beautiful creature.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 73 
 
 I sat down on the bed beside her, still look- 
 ing at her intently, and an uneasy feeling came 
 upon me as I looked. She seemed so helpless 
 in her sleep, and there was a drawn look around 
 her mouth that was seldom seen there ; there 
 was a something in her countenance that dis- 
 turbed me, disturbed me against my will. She 
 could not help being attractive ; could not pre- 
 vent the " bear " falling hopelessly in love with 
 her. For in every fairy tale the beast falls in 
 love with the beauty. It was her destiny, her 
 fate she dare not scorn it ! 
 
 And he ? No ! I whispered, and knelt by the 
 sleeping girl. No one had done me any wrong. 
 I alone was to blame. And then the hot tears 
 came, and, as I tried to stifle my sobs, a half cry 
 broke from me. 
 
 Lotta was awakened suddenly from her sleep, 
 and looked toward me, while I put my handker- 
 chief in my mouth and forced myself to appear 
 composed. 
 
 " For God's sake, Helena, what has hap- 
 pened ? " she cried, trying to straighten her dis- 
 ordered hair. 
 
 " Nothing, Lotta, nothing ; only a message I 
 have for you ; but first be quiet." 
 
 " A message ? Haven't you been crying ? " 
 she queried.
 
 74 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 '' Now listen very attentively, little princess, 
 and let me speak." 
 
 " That sounds very solemn, Helena." 
 
 " It is something very serious, Lotta." 
 
 She grew a little uneasy now. 
 
 " Well, go on, speak out," she said. 
 
 " Fritz Roden loves you, Lotta, and wishes to 
 make you his wife." 
 
 Lotta gave me one glance,, and then threw her- 
 self back on her pillow and began laughing ; she 
 laughed until the tears rolled down her cheeks ; 
 the merriment came from her very heart. I have 
 never heard any other laugh as contagious and 
 as hearty as Lotta's. I threw my arms around 
 her and laughed too, although, my heart was 
 breaking, and mine was a sad laugh. 
 
 " Oh, I shall die ! " she cried at last, drying 
 her eyes. 
 
 " Did you not know that he loved you ? Did 
 you never perceive it ? " I asked, almost afraid 
 of the answer. 
 
 " Oh, of course ! He fell in love with me the first 
 day he saw me. One had to be blind not to see 
 that. But that he wanted to marry me, that is 
 so so " and again she broke into a hearty laugh. 
 
 "But it is no laughing matter," I said, pro- 
 voked, and shook her by the shoulders, " Lotta, 
 be serious for once, I pray you,"
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 75 
 
 Then she became quiet and looked at me. 
 
 " What do you want me to say ? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " Do you not love him, little princess, not even 
 a little ? " I questioned. " Do, for heaven's sake, 
 be earnest ! It is not a rose that you are offered, 
 it is a true heart, the unconditional confidence 
 and trust of an honest, good man." 
 
 " Ah ! do not become sentimental," she said 
 sulkily. 
 
 "Lotta," I begged, "that is no answer. I 
 only want you to consider it well. I would not 
 speak with you at all, only I know he loves you 
 well only as a good man can love a woman 
 and that you will love him, must love him, in 
 return, for he is unquestionably good 
 
 "Ah, bah! that is sheer nonsense, Helena; 
 go to sleep," she interrupted. 
 
 "No, no, Lotta; promise me that you, if you 
 become affianced to him, will do all in your 
 power to return his love ; become his wife with 
 this purpose in view, Lotta, or else give him 
 an honest No ! He may not be very miser- 
 able." 
 
 " How tragic ! " she said. " Now let me go 
 asleep. I am tired and have had enough to 
 think of to-day since grandmother ordered me to 
 be more considerate."
 
 76 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 She threw her arms around my neck and gave 
 me a kiss, and, before I was ready to retire, was 
 sound asleep again. 
 
 Poor Fritz ! 
 
 I shed no more tears that night, and toward 
 morning I fell into an uneasy sleep, dreamless 
 but heavy. When I wakened grandmother was 
 by my bed. 
 
 " Are you ill, Helena ? For God's sake do not 
 get ill ! " 
 
 " I am quite well," I answered, as the memory 
 of yesterday came slowly back to me. " I will 
 rise immediately." 
 
 " I heard you moaning," she answered. " I 
 have been awake a long time. Helena, I want 
 to speak to you is she sleeping ? " and the old 
 lady pointed toward Lotta's bed. 
 
 " Yes, she never wakes until eight o'clock." 
 
 " Do not be startled, Helena ; I have had a 
 letter from Hans," whispered grandmother. 
 
 " How is he ? What is he doing what does 
 he say about papa's death ? " I asked. 
 
 Grandmother shook her head, and smoothed 
 her white hair nervously with her hands, and 
 whispered to me : 
 
 " Badly, Helena ; the letter was very sad. He 
 has been very ill and needed money, and no 
 inconsiderable sum."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 77 
 
 " 111 ! Ah, grandmamma, and we have noth- 
 ing !" 
 
 "No, we have nothing," she repeated. "I 
 cannot help him, and if he gets worse and dies, 
 as he threatens well, he must grow worse and 
 die ; I can do nothing." 
 
 I did not answer. I knew that she was right. 
 
 " Please do not say anything to Lotta about it ; 
 you know how devoted she is to him. And she 
 will not see it as we do, nor will she understand 
 that the money is all gone." 
 
 " Will you answer his letter, grandmamma ? " 
 
 " No," she responded. 
 
 " How much does Hans want ? " 
 
 "Eight hundred thalers. He has an oppor- 
 tunity to engage in some business from which he 
 hopes to make great profits. I would willingly 
 grant this last request, but " and she shrugged 
 her shoulders " where am I to get it ? You must 
 try and influence Lotta if you can ; last evening 
 she was almost unreasonable ; she does not seem 
 to understand that we have given up our luxuri- 
 ous life because we were forced to do so. She 
 came to me with a lengthy order she had writ- 
 ten to a Diisseldorf firm for artists' materials, 
 amounting to almost ten thalers. I tore the 
 letter in two. Then she cried as if the direst 
 misfortune had come to pass. With Hans's un-
 
 7 8 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 happy letter I also received another, a bill from 
 Gerson for a new black costume which Lotta 
 had ordered, and which is to come to-day. It is 
 certainly not necessary for Rotenberg : I do not 
 see how it is to be paid." 
 
 She arose wearily and turned and went out. 
 
 There are days when one knows it will not be 
 clear : times when one almost believes the sun 
 will never shine again, and when our very exist- 
 ence lies as a burden on our souls. 
 
 I rose and dressed myself quickly. I heard 
 the old servant moving about in the kitchen ; 
 soon she came into the next room, and I heard 
 her voice. 
 
 " Fraulein ! Fraulein Helena ! " 
 
 What did she want ? Then I remembered the 
 word that Fritz Roden wanted, the word for 
 which he had begged ; but I had no word for 
 him. 
 
 Cautiously I went over to Lotta's bed ; she 
 reached out her small hand and caught the fold 
 of my dress. 
 
 " Helena, one moment," she begged, in a weak 
 voice. 
 
 " What is it, Lotta ? " 
 
 " Helena, I have had such fearful dreams, 
 though of course that is nothing very unusual ; 
 I want to ask you a question. Do you consider
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 79 
 
 Fritz Roden a good character ? Answer hon- 
 estly, Helena, you know what I mean generous, 
 in no way narrow or egotistical, a gentleman ? " 
 
 " O God, Lotta, do not ask me ! " I begged. 
 " I consider him one of the best men in the 
 world ! " 
 
 " But answer me ! Do you believe he is a 
 gentleman ? " 
 
 "Yes, I do believe it," I murmured. 
 
 She was silent, but looked up at me with a 
 face as white as the linen on which it rested, 
 and with an earnest, frightened expression. 
 
 " Well, let him come," she said, almost de- 
 spairingly. 
 
 "You will accept him?" I stammered. "Lotta, 
 do you really love him? Otherwise my God, 
 Lotta ' 
 
 " I will accept him," sounded back from the 
 pillow in a half-smothered tone. 
 
 Almost dazed I stepped into the next room. 
 
 The woman was still standing waiting for the 
 money to buy milk and rolls. I tore a leaf out 
 of my account-book, and wrote " Yes " on it. 
 Then I folded it and addressed it. 
 
 " Go up to the great house and give that to 
 Herr Roden, but to no one but himself." 
 
 She gave me a sly look and went, but at the 
 door she turned around.
 
 8o Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Then what the people say is true," she 
 began. "Ah, I will not speak of it, Fraiilein 
 von Werthern." 
 
 " Of what ? " 
 
 " That you are Fritz Roden's sweetheart ! 
 But it must be true, he gets a good wife. When 
 you are married, I shall go to the church. You 
 may not believe it, Fraiilein, but he would not 
 take every one ; a great many fine girls have run 
 after him. But the Rodens have always kept 
 themselves apart. Ah, do not blame me for 
 speaking, Fraulein ; I shall go at once." 
 
 She went. I had no word of blame for the stu- 
 pid creature. I covered my face with my hands. 
 I Fritz Roden's sweetheart ! Ah, great God ! 
 
 At eleven o'clock everything was in readiness 
 for the lover's reception. My grandmother sat 
 in her accustomed easy-chair in her black silk 
 gown, with her knitting in her hand, but she 
 made no pretence of work, I noticed ; the unex- 
 pected news that Fritz Roden and Charlotte von 
 Werthern were betrothed seemed to bewilder 
 her. " Did he mean Lotta ? Are you sure he 
 really meant Lotta ? " she had already asked 
 me several times. 
 
 " Yes, dearest grandmamma." 
 
 " And she will have him ? Lotta, you are 
 going to marry Fritz Roden?"
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 81 
 
 " Yes," came the answer more than once from 
 the white lips of the girl. She stood with list- 
 less arms at the large stove ; she had something 
 thrown around her shoulders, and looked chilly 
 and pale and singular. The luxuriant hair that 
 had always hung down her back was fastened 
 up to-day on her head, and gave one the impres- 
 sion that she was years older than she really was, 
 and yet she was startlingly beautiful, more beau- 
 tiful than I had ever seen her before. 
 
 When the well-known step sounded outside, 
 she shivered and became pale almost to livid- 
 ness ; she seemed as if she wanted to escape ; 
 then she fixed her wandering glance upon a pic- 
 ture which hung over the sofa Hans in full 
 uniform ; a finely finished photograph, that I 
 had purchased with the limited pocket money I 
 had received. She was nervous and agitated, 
 one could see at a glance. 
 
 My grandmother went to the door when she 
 heard the knock, and opened it herself. As she 
 did so, I went into my own room and shut the door 
 behind me, to hear nothing to see nothing 
 only to be alone with my deadly sorrow. Could 
 it be possible that one could endure such agony 
 and not die ? So I stood and heard the voices, 
 that sounded muffled and indistinct on my ear, 
 heard the agitation in the voice that had yester- 
 6
 
 82 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 day been so full of anguish, saw his face before 
 me so earnest and quivering with emotion. I 
 nervously clutched the handle of the balcony 
 door, and looked out at the dreary wintry land- 
 scape with desolation in my heart, and no hope 
 to which to cling. 
 
 A light step sounded behind me, and Lotta 
 sank suddenly in a chair by my side. She did 
 not look like a joyous bride. 
 
 "Come with me," she whispered, and grasped 
 my hand. " I am going to his mother." 
 
 She looked at me so piteously that I could not 
 do otherwise than consent. 
 
 We took our hats and cloaks and went out 
 together into the living-room. He was holding 
 my grandmother's hands and talking to her. 
 His happiness had made him talkative. 
 
 He was assuring her of his great love and of 
 his thankfulness, and the old lady stroked his 
 blond head, as she said, " I believe you, dear 
 Heir Roden, I believe you." 
 
 I gave him my hand, but could not look at 
 him. He whispered his heartfelt thanks to me, 
 and then rose hurriedly. 
 
 " My mother is waiting," he said. 
 
 " Helena is coming with us," said Lotta, like 
 an alarmed child. 
 
 He was silent ; he had hoped to go alone with
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 83 
 
 Aer, but she caught hold of the folds of my 
 dress, and so we three set out on the now 
 familiar path, the bare branches of the birch- 
 irees drooping above us. He walked beside the 
 slender figure, but her finger-tips scarcely rested 
 on his arm ; when they reached the court she 
 4rew her hand back. 
 
 <; You had better go up the walk by yourself." 
 
 " Let me have the joy of seeing you by my 
 side," he begged, drawing her arm once more 
 within his. "Yonder is my mother standing at 
 the window." 
 
 So they crossed- the court together, and Frau 
 Roden came to the door to meet them when she 
 saw them approaching. The tears were running 
 down her cheeks as she held out both hands to 
 Lotta. " God knows best," she said, and drew 
 the young girl to her heart. 
 
 And when we had followed her into the sitting- 
 room, she repeated : 
 
 " God knows best. Oh, if you will but make 
 my son happy, he is my all " 
 
 She sank in her chair and began weeping loud 
 and bitterly. Lotta stood opposite her, perfectly 
 silent. She and we all felt that the old lady 
 doubted her capability to make Fritz happy. 
 The b-idegroom-elect perceived this with bitter- 
 ness,
 
 84 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Mother ! " he called sharply. 
 
 Then she dried her eyes, and tried to act as 
 though all were well. She went to her escritoire 
 and took from a small compartment a glistening 
 ornament in the shape of a cross, and set with 
 diamonds. 
 
 "This," she said, the tears shining the while 
 in her kindly eyes, " was given me by my dear 
 husband on the day on which we were betrothed. 
 It is for you now. May it adorn as happy and 
 contented a bride as was I when first I wore it." 
 
 The beautiful girl held the glittering cross in 
 her hand without the slightest sign of emotion ; 
 then she leaned over and kissed the donor, and 
 murmured some words of thanks. 
 
 Fritz Roden now opened the door, and called 
 through the hall with a lion's voice : 
 
 " Here, my people ! Mamselle, Rieke, Mina ! 
 Come here, all of you ! " 
 
 And the whole household soon appeared, even 
 to the last kitchen maid and the coachman and 
 the stable-boy. Fritz put his arms around Lotta's 
 waist and drew her to him. 
 
 "Here, my dear bride, are your people ! To- 
 morrow you can have a holiday in honor of our 
 betrothal. You, Mamselle, can arrange for it. Ah, 
 David, come here, and give me your hand. The 
 first time she and I ever saw each other, you were
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 driving us. You brought the bride here, and 
 you shall drive us to our wedding. Shall he not, 
 little Lotta ? " 
 
 I wondered whether she thought of that first 
 evening, and of the spiteful comments she had 
 made. She stared above the heads of the people 
 into the empty air, and a deep flush overspread 
 her face. She seemed to answer with a slight 
 bend of the head, and turned away quickly^ 
 So Fritz Roden had to take all the handshak- 
 ings and congratulations upon himself, while she 
 stood with tightly compressed lips at the window. 
 In her bearing there was something of impa- 
 tience, as if she would throw a burden from her 
 shoulders.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Two weeks had passed since the betrothal. A 
 wonderfully short time ! But it lay like lead 
 upon all our hearts ; the only sunbeam to be 
 found was in Fritz Roden's eyes. Every day at 
 five o'clock he came up, and remained with us 
 until evening. Generally he had a little package 
 in his hand, or playfully hidden behind him, and 
 he would hide it in Lotta's work-basket, or throw 
 it unexpectedly into her lap. 
 
 There were odd gifts wrapped in these little 
 parcels, such as only a man living in a little town 
 would purchase : fancy writing-paper and painted 
 envelops ; wonderful work-bags with useless scis- 
 sors ; and thimbles much too large for Lotta's 
 finger ; perfumes that were simply frightful, and 
 time and again costly bouquets of fragrant vio- 
 lets ; these last at least were appreciated. 
 
 I was sorely puzzled by Lotta's manner of 
 receiving these gifts. She was always coolly 
 gracious ; but I often thought she would have 
 thrown them out of the window before his very 
 face had she dared.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 87 
 
 She put them all together in a bureau drawer 
 which she had emptied for that purpose. 
 
 She avoided his tender, loving glance persist- 
 ently ; and his playful manner received from her 
 but slight notice, and never any response. 
 
 She had certainly become very quiet lately, 
 with so proud a manner that a lover less enthu- 
 siastic than Fritz Roden would have desponded. 
 In these days she obtained, unperceived by him, 
 such control over him that she managed him 
 exactly as she had done the puppets in her thea- 
 tre, when, as a child, she had pulled the silk 
 cords at pleasure. 
 
 She never took his arm when we went for our 
 walks, and gently but positively refused to make 
 any calls upon the friends of the Rodens who 
 lived in that vicinity, because she was in deep 
 mourning. He let that pass. In fact she did as 
 she had always done as she pleased. 
 
 He came no more in top-boots, because she 
 had expressed her distaste for them. He looked 
 more like what he was, the owner and manager 
 of a large estate ; and he left off wearing his 
 gay-colored cravats, because she did not consider 
 them seemly. In fact he humored her slightest 
 whim, and seemed only to have one desire to 
 gratify her wishes before they were expressed. 
 
 Grandmother looked on apathetically. Dear
 
 88 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 old lady ! she had altered greatly ; now that thfc 
 excitement and tumult of the sad change she 
 had been compelled to make was over, it was all 
 the more noticeable. She was more silent than 
 ever, and deeply absorbed in religious medita- 
 tions. 
 
 Frau Roden came sometimes with her son, 
 and then she went to grandmother's room, where 
 they two talked over old times. 
 
 Fritz would sit down opposite Lotta, and I 
 would sit alone at my sewing-table. 
 
 It was just before Christmas. A cold, rainy, 
 disagreeable day. Lotta sat with clasped hands 
 and looked out of the window ; her profile was 
 turned toward her lover, and he was, as usual, 
 lost in admiration as he gazed at her. 
 
 At last she turned from the window. " Is it 
 not true, Fritz," she said, quite carelessly, " that 
 you are a wealthy man ? " 
 
 He started and laughed, and reached out his 
 hand for hers. " Well, little princess, we will 
 have enough to live on." 
 
 " I want to ask you something," she said, "but 
 I do not wish Helena to hear." 
 
 I rose at once. " I will go and make the cof- 
 fee," I said, smiling. 
 
 A quarter of an hour later I went into our 
 sleeping-room and found that the door into the
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 89 
 
 adjoining room was open, and as I hastened to 
 close it I heard Fritz say : " I will do anything 
 you wish, Lotta, but not that ; it would be 
 most imprudent." After a while Lotta came 
 into our room and went over to the mirror to 
 arrange her hair. I saw that her hands trembled, 
 and a dark, red color burned on her cheeks. 
 
 "Helena," she said, "we believed that at 
 least he was a gentleman. We were mistaken." 
 With a violent movement she opened the ward- 
 robe door and took down her hat and coat. " I 
 will be back soon," she said, " and in the mean 
 time you can entertain my precious lover." And 
 she was gone. 
 
 As I went hastily into the living-room, I found 
 Fritz before the piciure of Hans, looking at it 
 with knitted brows. 
 
 " Where is Lotta ? " he inquired. 
 
 " She has gone out. Did you not know it ?" 
 
 " No." He appeared disturbed. " She is 
 vexed with me," he said. " Do you where the 
 obstinate child has gone ? " 
 
 .1 shook my head. " She will be back soon," 
 I said. 
 
 " Well, I will go out and find her," he said 
 quietly, and went as he spoke. But he did not 
 succeed, for she came back shortly and alone- 
 
 " Where have you been, Lotta ? " I asked-
 
 90 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Oh, just out a short distance," was the an- 
 swer. 
 
 After a time Fritz Roden came back too. He 
 carried, as always, a package in his hand, which 
 he laid by Lotta's cup, and looked at her be- 
 seechingly. But, for the first time, no notice at 
 all was taken of the little love gift ; not once did 
 she glance even inadvertently toward it, though 
 it lay so close to her cup. 
 
 " Not cross, little princess ? " he said at last, 
 jestingly. 
 
 She gave him one look ; it was a glance of 
 unspeakable contempt. "Oh, no," she said, 
 " but I could not suffer you to be so imprudent. 
 I will take nothing more." 
 
 He laughed heartily. " Lotta," he cried, "that 
 was spoken like a wife whose husband had re- 
 fused to grant her request. You maidens and 
 wives are extravagant in your whims. But see, 
 sweetheart, here are chocolates and dates, in 
 these little bonbonnicres" 
 
 He had opened the package and held up be- 
 fore her the little silk bags. 
 
 " I am no child I thank you," she responded, 
 and took a fresh cracker and bit it. 
 
 " Shall I go away ? " he asked pleasantly. 
 
 " Pray do," she responded with a graceful 
 movement of her hand 'toward the door. It
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 91 
 
 seemed almost as though she were laughing. 
 And that hurt him. 
 
 He sprang up. *' Then farewell, for you are 
 incorrigible." 
 
 She rose likewise. " Adieu ! " 
 
 At the door he turned, anger and good humor 
 each striving for mastery in his face. He came 
 back, and raised her chin gently until he looked 
 full in her face, and asked : 
 
 " Do we love each other, or not, Lotta ? " 
 
 " I hardly consider it worth while to think 
 about that," she answered coldly. 
 
 " Lotta ! " he cried, shocked. But she went 
 past him quickly into our sleeping-room. He 
 stood silent for a few minutes, then went out, for- 
 getting to say good-by. 
 
 To me the whole scene was altogether inex- 
 plicable. "Lotta," I said, as I went after her, " I 
 do not desire to interfere in your affairs, but it 
 was not right in you to send him away as you 
 did." 
 
 " Oh, don't bother ! " she said impatiently. She 
 sat before the little stove, with her feet pressed 
 against the iron projection, and the firelight play- 
 ing over the daintily-fitting shoe. It had grown 
 quite dark in the room, and I could not see her 
 features or read their expression. 
 
 " Well, Lotta ? " I said, after a time.
 
 92 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " I have believed that he would be an assist- 
 ance to us," she said, "have thought that he 
 would be able to raise us above our trouble ; 
 what it costs me to speak to him no one can 
 understand. And what answer did he give me, 
 after all his protestations of love, after his re- 
 peated assurances that my every wish should be 
 to him as a command ? " And now she mimicked 
 his voice and manner. " ' No, my child, you do 
 not understand, and therefore do not ask me.' 
 God in heaven, Helena ! I have gone to him like 
 a beggar, have humbled myself for the first time 
 in my life only to be repulsed." 
 
 " But he is so prudent and sensible, little prin- 
 cess ; if he refused you something, you know 
 it was for the best." 
 
 " Oh, yes, very prudent," she said with a sneer ; 
 "but this reasoning is cold as ice, one freezes 
 when one comes in contact with it. Give me im- 
 pulsive, warm, impassioned deeds ; an act where 
 the left hand knows not what is done by the 
 right, one spark of magnanimity. You seek in 
 vain for it in these creatures here, who live like 
 moles in a mound. Ah, that my lot should be 
 cast among such country bumpkins ! " 
 
 " But tell me what it is all about." 
 
 " Oh, you will not understand me. Hans needs 
 money, must have money, or he is lost."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 93 
 
 " Great heavens ! " I cried, " you have not 
 been begging for Hans ? " 
 
 " Yes, for he has only me, and I love him best 
 in the whole world. I overheard your conversa- 
 tion with grandmother on my betrothal morning, 
 and " she faltered " I should have said noth- 
 ing not yet ; but last evening I received a let- 
 ter from Hans, and I know well that he will be 
 brought to great misery and ruin if something is 
 not done and done soon to save him ; so " 
 and her voice became shrill " so I went to him 
 and begged him to assist Hans. And he he 
 got on his high horse ; spoke of what he would 
 do for me, for all of us here ; but that he was 
 not foolish enough to throw his money into the 
 water, and that one would not serve Hans thus 
 only injure him ; for only misery, hunger, and 
 sorrow could change such natures into respectable 
 human beings. Oh, he spoke very well, very pru- 
 dently, and very like a worthy biirgermeister; but 
 by so doing he removed the mask from his face, 
 and I saw his true features ; a wretched, miserly, 
 narrow man. He is' thoroughly contemptible." 
 
 " No," I cried ; " Lotta, you exaggerate. No, 
 believe me, he was right not to give Hans money. 
 He would only gamble it away in an hour, as he 
 did here. Have some respect for the man whose 
 possessions are the result of work and fulfilment
 
 94 Two Daughters* of One Race. 
 
 of duty, the money would only be thrown into a 
 bottomless pit." 
 
 She took the tongs and poked the glowing 
 coals with them ; then she sprang up suddenly 
 and began wringing her hands. 
 
 " Helena, I believe I hate " 
 
 She stopped abruptly, for there was a noise on 
 the outer door. 
 
 I hastened into the next room and opened it, 
 and found the coachman outside ; he held a 
 note in his hand and smiled slyly. 
 
 " For the young mistress," said he. 
 
 I lit a lamp, and then took the letter to my 
 sister. She scarcely knew whether to read it or 
 not. She took it hesitatingly, opened the en- 
 velop, and drew the letter out. A postal order 
 for one hundred thalers was folded inside, which 
 Lotta evidently was expected to despatch. 
 
 She became pale as death, and hastily put the 
 little strip of paper on a chest of drawers by 
 which she stood. 
 
 "Extraordinary generosity!" she muttered 
 ironically. 
 
 After several minutes she read the letter and 
 then handed it to me. 
 
 " Not a sermon this time," she "aid, and turned 
 away. 
 
 This is what Fritz Roden had written :
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 95 
 
 " I cannot be happy, dearest, knowing that you are sad 
 and angry with me, and especially when I remember that 
 I have denied your first petition. I enclose a note for one 
 hundred thalers, which I trust will relieve Hans'sembarra-s- 
 ment. By this post I send a letter to a friend of mine in 
 New York, requesting him to hunt up Hans von Werthern 
 in the hospital, and to talk with him over his future plans, 
 and communicate the result to me. He may rest assured 
 of my help, if I receive a favorable answer. I trust I 
 have proved to you that I am not so parsimonious as you 
 seem to think ; credulous and blindly trustful I am not. 
 I like to feel the ground upon which I tread. 
 
 " And now this affair is settled, and I trust that when we 
 meet in the morning it will not be mentioned. 
 
 " Good-night, my love, and be good to 
 
 " YOUR FRITZ." 
 
 I looked across at her, and wondered that she 
 had not hastened to write him a line of thanks 
 immediately. But she was standing perfectly 
 quiet, and when she did at last turn around, her 
 beautiful face wore its usual indifferent expres- 
 sion. She sat down under the lamplight and took 
 up a book and began reading. 
 
 Nothing further had been said about the copy- 
 ing of the pictures since Lotta's engagement. 
 She had neglected her easel altogether. She sat 
 the greater part of the time in the broad window- 
 seat, leaning on her elbows, holding her head in 
 her hands, lost in thought ; she seemed in a 
 lethargy all the time,
 
 96 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 My grandmother lay in bed in the adjoining 
 room. She was not exactly sick, she said, " only 
 tired." I went back and forth between the 
 two rooms, with fear in my heart, as I looked at 
 the tired old face that gazed up at me with a 
 smile, and begged me to have patience with her, 
 and then at the young girl, who looked worn 
 and tired of life too, but gave me no friendly 
 glance in return. 
 
 Some days she was remarkably gay, and began 
 to paint her future life in spiteful humor. 
 
 " Only think what I will be able to do when I 
 marry this wealthy, generous man. I can have 
 a cake or two more at -my little entertainment 
 than Frau Superintendent is able to offer, and 
 the brocade in my gown will cost a thaler more 
 a yard than that worn by Frau Post-director. 
 Yes, I will have great privileges when I become 
 Frau Roden." 
 
 And at other times she would send Fritz to the 
 seventh heaven by her graciousness and her con- 
 descending familiarity. 
 
 But generally she was silent or morose, and 
 worried us all with her insufferable whims, and 
 her pleasant moods were but few. 
 
 " For God's sake, Helena, what is the matter 
 with Lotta ? " the ardent lover would ask despair- 
 ingly. " Who has vexed her ? What has put
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 97 
 
 her out of humor? Perhaps she will confide in 
 you." 
 
 I shook my head, denying all knowledge of 
 her feelings. But I nevertheless believed that I 
 did know, and that she felt herself oppressed by 
 her engagement to him. What would be the end 
 of it all ? I often asked myself. 
 
 Christmas came and went, and Lotta's lap 
 was filled with its treasures. It was pathetic to 
 see Fritz seeking to fulfil her every wish, leaving 
 no stone unturned to win from her a smile of 
 approval, but she had literally none to give him. 
 
 Our exhortations that she should paint him a 
 picture, or send him some little piece of work 
 from her own hands, were all in vain. We 
 always received the same answer. 
 
 " Do not disturb yourselves about me. Will 
 I knit him a pair of mittens like those Rieke made 
 David ? Do not bother me we are entirely too 
 poor to give presents." 
 
 All his gifts to her were put carefully away in 
 the bureau drawers ; she touched nothing, she 
 used nothing. 
 
 " Lotta," I begged, " do not vex him so greatly. 
 You certainly can afford to accept presents from 
 the man whom you intend to marry. It looks to 
 me as though, sooner or later, you intend to 
 break with him."
 
 98 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Oh, no," she answered ; " I shall not do that 
 at all ; but let me alone, and do not torment me ; 
 I will do what I think best." 
 
 " Little princess," I began afresh, " be honest, 
 for heaven's sake, be honest. If you do not love 
 him it is not too late yet " 
 
 " Do not vex me," she answered impatiently, 
 " and attend to your own affairs. I know .what 
 I am doing." 
 
 Near at hand was a heart that, with the unerr- 
 ing instinct of mother-love, knew her son would 
 have much to suffer. Frau Roden did not hesi- 
 tate to express her honest indignation at Lotta's 
 conduct. " Helena, Helena ! " she said to me 
 bitterly one day, " she does not love him ; what 
 kind of a marriage will it be ? If he was only 
 not so infatuated with that pretty face, and 
 would come to his senses again. Ah, dear Hel- 
 ena, what has my dear boy done to deserve such 
 treatment ? " 
 
 And she dried her eyes furtively, for her 
 " dear boy " must not see her weeping. She 
 would say nothing further to him on the subject ; 
 for if she discouraged him and made him heart- 
 sick, he would become incensed against her and 
 not come to her any more with his confidences. 
 
 So, whatever his Lotta was, she was to him all 
 he desired. It was he alone that would have to
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 99 
 
 put up with Lotta's whims. Marriage is a mat- 
 ter in which no third person should interfere. 
 
 " He was never hasty or passionate in all his 
 life, Helena, but he would come to me immedi- 
 ately after and throw his arms around my neck, 
 craving my pardon, and showing from his inmost 
 heart his anxiety to make amends for any sharp 
 words he had spoken. Oh, I know my dear boy, 
 I know him well." 
 
 Our days passed slowly and uneventfully ; and 
 we entered upon the new year, the memorable 
 year of 1870, with no suspicion of the storm 
 which was shortly to burst upon us with such 
 fury. In our sequestered corner of the earth, 
 time seemed to stand still ; January and Febru- 
 ary passed with their usual accompaniments of 
 snow and icej with March the thaws began melt- 
 ing the snow from off our mountains, and permit- 
 ting the little violets to peep forth in the gardens 
 surrounding us. And Lotta went out in the 
 warmer sunshine to gather the fragrant spring 
 flowers that grew beside the walls. Grand- 
 mother would sit on the balcony, carefully 
 propped up with pillows to breathe the soft 
 spring air. The brown swelling buds were com- 
 ing out rapidly on the branches of the trees, and 
 the little shrubs were shining once more in their
 
 too Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 renewed clothing of emerald green. As far as 
 eye could reach, the newly-sown fields gave 
 promise of the harvest to come, a hope always 
 dear to the aged. 
 
 " I cannot tell," said the old lady, looking 
 intently at me as I sat opposite her, " whether 
 it is my bad sight or not, but to me you seem 
 greatly changed. Where has your round face 
 gone ? " 
 
 " I am quite well, grandmother ; but Lotta 
 looks bad." 
 
 I looked down at Lotta as she walked with 
 slow steps up and down by the wall. She would 
 stoop over, as though lost in thought, then 
 straighten herself up again, and a second later 
 be stooping once more ; and now she stood erect, 
 for Schnips rushed off with a bark to meet 
 Fritz, who was hastening forward to greet his 
 betrothed. She gave him her hand and a nod 
 of greeting as he put his arm around her waist, 
 and remained as apathetic and listless as was her 
 wont these last few months. 
 
 He spoke eagerly ; I could hear his voice from 
 where I sat, although I could not catch the 
 words. She listened patiently ; at last she took 
 up her long black gown and turned and came 
 toward the house. 
 
 " No, it cannot go on this way any longer," I
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 101 
 
 heard him say as they entered the house together. 
 A moment later they were in the living-room, and 
 I went in at once to greet him. He looked red 
 and excited, and was stroking his beard, a habit 
 with him whenever he was deeply moved. 
 
 '' No, it cannot go on any longer this way," 
 he repeated, as he shook hands with me. 
 
 " I must have my own way in this. Helena, 
 you must stand by me ; you advise and help me 
 to persuade Lotta that it is best for us to be 
 married in May." 
 
 She had taken no interest apparently in what 
 he said, and stood passively near him. As he 
 caught hold of her hand at the last words she 
 drew it hastily back, and a deep color overspread 
 her pale cheeks. But she answered never a 
 word, only shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 At this his face grew darker. 
 
 " But why should we wait any longer ? " he 
 asked. " I cannot bear to see you so sad, so 
 idle. Nothing pleases you now that used to in- 
 terest you. You do not read, you do not play 
 on the piano, you do not paint at all. If we are 
 married in May, we can travel ; I heard you say 
 once that you would like to go up the Rhine 
 so we will go there. A change will be the best 
 thing for you, and you will become your old self 
 again, sweetheart. Js that not so, Helena ? "
 
 io2 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 She whom he loved so dearly answered noth- 
 ing, but stood silent and turned a deaf ear to his 
 pleadings. 
 
 " Now, say yes ! " he coaxed. " Everything 
 is in readiness for you at the house ; the final 
 arrangements will be the care of mother and 
 Sister Helena ; they will make it comfortable 
 for us. And we will come back at harvest time, 
 when everything is so cool and inviting in our 
 mountains. Now, say yes ! " 
 
 He had spoken half jestingly, but I could see 
 his whole heart was in his request notwith- 
 standing. 
 
 But Lotta did not say "yes." She turned 
 and went over to the window and looked out at 
 the castle walls opposite, with their large bright 
 windows ; then, after a long pause, she said, with- 
 out turning around : 
 
 " I cannot decide so quickly, and papa is not 
 dead a year yet." 
 
 He looked across at me : he was evidently 
 both anxious and puzzled. But he urged nothing 
 further on that day. 
 
 As though relieved of a burden, the young 
 girl came suddenly back from the window. 
 
 " I am going to paint again," she said ener- 
 getically. " I will take advantage of the per- 
 mission that has been given me to copy over
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 103 
 
 there at the castle ; there is a picture of still- 
 life in the yellow chamber that has pleased me 
 greatly. I will go across at once and ask if I 
 may commence to-morrow." And she stepped 
 in front of the silent, moody man, who watched 
 her intently, and patted him on the arm. u No 
 glacier this time, Frederick a still-life picture, 
 and when it is completed you can have it if you 
 wish it." 
 
 It was the first time in many a day perhaps, 
 indeed, the very first time she had spoken to 
 him thus. He forget that she had, after a child- 
 ish fashion, put off any decision as to their future, 
 and that it was as uncertain as ever, forgot every- 
 thing but the fact of her unexpected friendliness. 
 A happy smile came over his face. 
 
 " Yes," he said, " paint the picture of still- 
 life soon, my dearest ! " 
 
 Lotta began her painting at the castle with 
 great zeal. 
 
 The hangings were drawn back from the win- 
 dows in the yellow chamber, and at times she 
 would come to one of them, holding her canvas 
 up for me to catch a glimpse of it, and giving me 
 a contented nod at the same time. 
 
 It seemed to me that her countenance had 
 become animated again ; she chatted at table, and
 
 104 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 did not sit by the hour staring into space as she 
 had done nearly all winter. 
 
 The old charming smile, half roguish, half 
 childish, played again at times around her mouth ; 
 but whenever she dined or spent an evening with 
 Fritz's mother, at his earnest solicitation, she 
 came back looking pale, and wearied, and com- 
 plained that she was nervous. 
 
 She said the old lady oppressed her with her 
 prosy manner and still prosier talk, just like a 
 burger's frau, and she had hard work to avoid 
 yawning when she was in the middle of one of 
 her twice-told tales. 
 
 The old lady knew nothing of the last new 
 novels, and had never heard any of Offenbach's 
 gay operas. On the little desk, with her Goethe 
 and Schiller and Lessing, lay a book entitled 
 "The Palladium of Noble Womanhood," with 
 golden rules for wives and maidens. 
 
 Lotta had looked the book through once, and 
 had laughed heartily at its old-fashioned illustra- 
 tions and quainter text. 
 
 Frau Roden naturally enough resented Lotta's 
 sneers, and Fritz was in a very uncomfortable posi- 
 tion, because she complained to him about all 
 his sweetheart's shortcomings. The simple songs 
 which Frau Roden had played and sung in her 
 youth were commented upon with commiserat-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 105 
 
 ing kindness, and for three days Lotta nick- 
 named her future mother-in-law the " dear 
 moon," because she had innocently related how 
 fond she was of the song, " Dear moon, you 
 move so silently," and how often she had sung it 
 when she was a bride. Fritz's mother in her turn 
 declared that the melodies from Offenbach which 
 Lotta was fond of playing were mere empty 
 jingles, and she brought out some of Beethoven's 
 sonatas, which Lotta spurned as too antique 
 and solemn. 
 
 Yes, the little princess was intensely bored ; 
 she could not appreciate the contentment which 
 comes to a human heart after years of painful 
 striving, when it has grown old in labor and 
 trouble, and can look back with pride upon a 
 long and honest life. Such a serenity was to her 
 simply insufferably commonplace. 
 
 Up in the great gable room sat four seam- 
 stresses working on the household linen. 
 
 " Children, I beg you," the practical old lady 
 said one day, " do not make up any linen, for I 
 have quantities of it piled away in chests aiid 
 on spindles, and it would be great waste to get 
 more. Fritz is my only child, and this linen has 
 been accumulating since my grandmother's time. 
 There have been no daughters in the Roden 
 family for three generations only sons, And
 
 106 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 it is a blessing that now there will be a reason 
 for letting it see the light." 
 
 And then she would show us the piles of costly 
 linen and damask of the finest, upon all of which 
 she was having the initials C. V. W. daintily 
 embroidered. 
 
 " For," said the kind woman, turning to me, 
 'no one need know that Lotta did not bring 
 them with her ; the people about here are so 
 curious and talk so much. I told the women 
 upstairs you had no place for them to sew over 
 at your rooms." 
 
 But Lotta took little heed of all this. She did 
 not act as a thankful daughter should have done 
 toward the old lady. This girl, who came with 
 empty hands, and did not contribute a penny's 
 worth toward her own outfit, gave expression to 
 no word of thanks ; there was no feeling of grati- 
 tude for all the thoughtfulness and considera- 
 tion that was shown her. 
 
 According to her notion it was from the other 
 side that thanks were due ; she turned away care- 
 lessly, and threw her beautiful head back with 
 an indifferent toss, vouchsafing but a passing 
 glance at the good things of life that were being 
 especially prepared for her. 
 
 No word had been spoken about Hans since 
 the eventful evening on which Lotta ha-" 1 quar
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 167 
 
 relied with her lover ; but I learned that Fritz 
 had, upon the receipt of a letter from his New 
 York friend, sent off some more money, for which 
 Hans had asked. And no answer had been re- 
 ceived in return. 
 
 *I said nothing about the matter, for I was 
 ashamed of this miserable begging ; and Lotta 
 never mentioned her brother's name again. 
 
 The spring time came on gently, with its soft 
 breezes and clear, fragrant air, bringing with it 
 its old but ever new joys the songs of birds, 
 the blossoming of flowers, the fresh, vivid green 
 wherever the eye turned and before the April 
 days were gone the nightingales were once more 
 under our windows. I do not know why I cried 
 so much ; whether there was in my mind a pre- 
 sentiment of what was to follow, or whether I 
 felt within me the consciousness that there was 
 spring time and happiness for all the world be- 
 sides, but for me there was nothing. 
 
 I led a strange life at that time. I can say 
 nothing more. I knew that my days were like a 
 slow stream running on between two unattractive 
 shores, with care and labor and dismal thoughts 
 that made one silent and sad and dull. I saw 
 before me the great endless stretch of time ere 
 I should be as old as my grandmother, and I 
 prayed in my heart : " Good God, do not let
 
 ,08 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 me live so long." It was a fearful experience 
 through which I passed. The one thing which 
 caused me the greatest uneasiness was the ear- 
 nest, sombre face of Fritz Roden. 
 
 He also is not happy, I thought ; for he is 
 battling against his better judgment. He can 
 struggle yet with the fears that oppress him ; but 
 for me there is no hope ; all is over in my 
 life. 
 
 " Will you not come over and see how I am 
 getting on with my picture ? " asked Lotta, one 
 morning, as she was starting for the castle. 
 " Come over for me to-day ; there is much that 
 is worth seeing, aside from the pictures. All the 
 furnishings and adornments are wonderfully rich 
 and beautiful, and are of the time of the first 
 Napoleon. Anita declares they are all quite 
 origina 7 , ; it is something to see in this age of 
 monotonous sameness. Or will you be too much 
 engaged in arranging your toilet for the supper 
 at the great house to-night ? I suppose one could 
 not get out of going to it ? For what a triumph 
 the gentry of Rodenberg will at last be pre- 
 sented to the future Frau Roden." 
 
 " I have nothing to prepare for myself, Lotta," 
 1 answered. " I shall wear my black silk gown, 
 but I would like to get in readiness something
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 1 09 
 
 suitable for you. I think your soft white silk 
 would do nicely ; for you know, as the betrothed 
 of the master of the house, and the guest in honor 
 of whom the supper is given, you should be as 
 attractive as possible. I will take off the blue 
 ribbons and put black velvet o les in their place, 
 if you say so." 
 
 She did not answer me, but I saw that her face 
 wore a fretful expression. 
 
 " Will you come ? " she asked evasively. 
 
 " Yes, Lotta. But I do not know how to get 
 to the rooms. I will come over about half-past 
 eleven, when grandmother takes her nap." 
 
 " Ring at the large middle door, and when you 
 are admitted go up the steps and through the 
 glass door to your right ; that will bring you into 
 a long corridor, then you come to the seventh 
 door on your right. Good-by till then." 
 
 By half-past eleven I had finished the changes 
 that were needed on Lotta's gown. It was an 
 elegant costume of rich white silk and golden 
 white cashmere. She had had it made to wear 
 at a bazaar at the palace of a Russian ambassa- 
 dor, where she was a flower-girl in one of the 
 booths the last time that she had seen the shim- 
 mer and glitter of fashionable life. I shuddered 
 as the past came before me so clearly; one can 
 hardly understand how trifles which make no
 
 no Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 impression at the time can come back so vividly 
 in after-days. 
 
 I had almost forgotten my promise to Lotta, 
 but I made haste and started for the castle. 
 
 As I passed by the great house I saw all the 
 windows thrown wide open, and caught a glimpse 
 of the mistress herself with her dust-brush in 
 her hand, but so busily engaged that she did not 
 notice me. 
 
 Ah, the preparations for this evening ! And 
 I could not help thinking how rejoiced they were 
 that Lotta had finally yielded to Fritz's entreaties 
 to allow an announcement supper to be given in 
 honor of their betrothal. 
 
 " Dear child, one must live in the midst of 
 these people," she had urged, " and they take 
 an interest in all that concerns us, just as we 
 do in them ; and, believe me, there is no harm 
 in possessing good friends and kind neighbors. 
 And I want Lotta to be friendly with every one. 
 It will do her no harm, and prevent people 
 gossiping among themselves. You know, Helena, 
 that every one here believes her to be proud and 
 unamiable, and she certainly gives them reason 
 to think so. She will not visit them, and hardly 
 seems to notice them." 
 
 Whether Lotta would ever be friendly or cor- 
 dial with the Rotenberg people I could not tell:
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. in 
 
 but I did not like to think about it at all, for 1 
 greatly feared the contrary. 
 
 And now I found myself under the great 
 linden-trees that surrounded the principal en- 
 trance of the castle, and was soon ringing at the 
 door Lotta had indicated, upon which was a plate 
 with the name, " GOVERNOR." 
 
 The door was opened immediately, and I 
 stepped into a large hall with broad flights of stairs 
 going up on either side, with two bronze knights 
 as sentinels at their base. As I ascended the 
 marble stairs I looked with interest at the rich 
 and historic frescoes which adorned the walls, and 
 the magnificent bronze chandeliers. The cool, 
 damp atmosphere- struck me painfully, and I 
 shuddered at the almost ghostly stillness which is 
 a natural accompaniment of uninhabited rooms. 
 
 When I reached the top of the stairs I found 
 a large vestibule, inlaid in white lacquer-work, 
 hung with purple curtains, and finished in a rich 
 but antique fashion ; from the windows I caught 
 a glimpse of the courtyard with its prim-looking 
 plots of grass. 
 
 Large glass doors afforded an exit from both 
 sides of this vestibule ; and going through the 
 left one, as Lotta had directed, I found myself 
 in a long, dimly-lighted corridor, whose walls 
 were broken here and there by folding-doors,
 
 ii2 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 niches with statuary, and bronze candelabra. 1 
 counted the doors until I came to the seventh, 
 which I opened, and as they swung noiselessly 
 back I entered a small anteroom. The floor 
 was covered with a soft, thick carpet, and the 
 walls were hung with Gobelin tapestry ; over the 
 marble mantel hung a mirror framed in prism-cut 
 glass, which gave a golden, glistening effect to 
 the entire room. Two doors, each covered with 
 Turkish portieres, led out of this room into inner 
 ones, and a superb copy of Battoni's Penitent 
 Magdalen hung above a richly-carved piece of 
 furniture, half buffet, half cabinet. 
 
 I stopped suddenly, for, almost as I entered, 
 I heard my sister's rich, clear laugh, as I had not 
 heard it since we left Berlin, so silvery, so 
 strange, for I had almost forgotten its sound. 
 And this laugh was followed by the full, deep 
 tones of a man's voice, as he said gayly : 
 
 " You do not believe me ? " 
 
 I stood motionless when I heard it. Glancing 
 at the mirror above, I could see Lotta's profile, 
 as the glistening frame threw its many-colored 
 rays over her ; her finely-shaped head, with its 
 coil of dark hair, seemed to rise out of the yellow 
 satin frame of her chair. She sat at her easel, 
 her back half turned to me, as she looked at the 
 speaker, who was standing by the canvas on
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 113 
 
 which she was painting ; a man's face, upon 
 which was stamped the imprints of youth and 
 good fortune, out of whose blue eyes shone a 
 happy, light-hearted gayety. 
 
 He was looking at my sister with a glance of 
 ecstasy, much as a painter would look at an old 
 master's work. The sight filled me with anxiety. 
 
 " No, your highness," I heard her repeat 
 again, " I do not believe it. I have finished my 
 work, and as my sister does not appear to be 
 coming, I Fraulein Anita will be kind enough 
 to look after my painting materials and see that 
 they are sent across to me." I saw through the 
 mirror that she rose as she spoke. 
 
 I came forward instantly when I saw her move ; 
 and, as I made my appearance in front of the por- 
 tiere which had shaded me, I was -conscious of an 
 inquisitorial glance anything but friendly that 
 greeted me from Lotta's companion. " Lotta ! " 
 I called, and I do not know to this day whether 
 I bowed as etiquette demanded or not ; but 
 Lotta turned quietly toward me, and said : 
 
 " My sister, your highness ! " 
 
 " I have disturbed your sister after a most 
 inexcusable fashion," said he, with polite greet- 
 ing. " I was on the point of starting for Castle 
 Grunen, and took it into my head to run down 
 here for a day before I went, and what was my
 
 1 1 4 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 surprise when I entered this room to find a young 
 lady painting diligently, for the governor had for- 
 gotten to inform me of the permission he had 
 accorded her." 
 
 " And I was frightened not a little," said 
 Lotta, as she unfastened her painting-apron. 
 " But, your highness, you see the picture is 
 finished, and I will disturb you no longer." 
 
 " On the contrary, it is not finished," he said, 
 as he looked attentively at her work. " Do you 
 not see, Fraulein von Werthern, that there is a 
 ray of light yet needed on that chalice of red 
 wine ? The color of the peach is too deep, and 
 the diamond ring there in the corner, which lies 
 so carelessly and yet so full of meaning near 
 that dish of luscious fruit on the green satin 
 cover, is but meagrely sketched ; you must give it 
 more attention. Look again at the original. It is 
 the work of a great master, old Petro de Ring ; 
 you must treat it with the reverence which it 
 deserves. In my opinion you have several days' 
 work before you ere your copy will be perfect." 
 
 " These are only trifles," replied Lotta decid- 
 edly, " which I can attend to just as well at 
 home." And as the prince made a hasty move- 
 ment to interrupt her, she added quickly, " I 
 wish to give the picture away to-day, your high- 
 ness."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 115 
 
 " To her betrothed," said I ; and I felt that 
 my voice sounded deep and earnest, but I could 
 not help it. 
 
 He looked at Lotta in astonishment, and there 
 was a question in his glance. 
 
 " Yes," said the girl in- a low tone and with 
 fixed eyes on the floor, "to my betrothed." 
 
 " He is a man to be envied," said the prince, 
 but without taking his eyes off her. 
 
 Lotta caught up her straw hat hastily and lifted 
 her damp picture from the easel: she was very 
 pale, and about her mouth I saw again the hard 
 expression which for the last few weeks had 
 never left it. 
 
 With a profound bow she retired from the 
 room, catching me by the hand as she went, and 
 throwing a curt greeting to Anita, who stood 
 listlessly looking out of the window. 
 
 In another moment we were passing swiftly 
 through the corridor. We hurried down the 
 steps, and were soon walking under the chestnuts 
 toward our home; neither of us had spoken a 
 word. 
 
 " How did it happen that the prince arrived 
 so unexpectedly ? " I asked at last. 
 
 " I do not know, Helena," she answered. " I 
 was painting, and Anita was gossiping, and I had 
 just asked her to put some wood in the stove, for
 
 1 1 6 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 I felt chilly, when I heard a carriage drive hastily 
 into the court beneath. I knew from the sound 
 that it was no conveyance from this neighbor- 
 hood, and was reminded of the high-stepping 
 horses and heavy equipages of our dear Berlin. 
 Anita was listening too, all ears, but she said noth- 
 ing, and began again to chat of trifling matters. 
 Soon, however, I heard a step behind me, and 
 turning, saw the prince by my side. It was very 
 painful for me, as you can understand. Then he 
 told me just what he repeated to you, that, as he 
 was going to Grunen, the fancy struck him to 
 come to Rotenberg, just to see again the place 
 where he had spent at one time so many tedious 
 weeks. It was not a pleasant contretemps for me, 
 Helena, so don't say any more about it." 
 
 " You will be forced to desist from your 
 favorite occupation, for a time, at least, 
 Lotta." 
 
 She sighed and looked at her picture. " He 
 will doubtless be away again soon, but it was not 
 pleasant to be taken by surprise after such a 
 fashion." 
 
 When we crossed the Rodens' court, I turned 
 to the left toward home. Lotta stood irresolutely 
 for a moment, and then said : " I think I will 
 stop for an instant, Helena, or will you give him 
 the picture ? "
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 117 
 
 " No," I answered, " but I will accompany 
 you." 
 
 " Wait," she said, " I will join you in a 
 moment." 
 
 I did not understand Lotta then, but after- 
 ward it seemed to me that an instinctive feeling 
 a presentiment what you will of the shadows 
 that were so soon to cross her pathway was upon 
 her that morning. 
 
 " Is your master at home ? " I heard her ask. 
 Then she disappeared within the doorway, and I 
 heard her step across the marble hall. A mo- 
 ment later, and she was by my side again with 
 empty hands. 
 
 " He was not in, and I placed it on his writing- 
 table," she said, putting her arm in mine as we 
 crossed the stone pavement together. 
 
 " Had we not better go back and see his 
 mother, if but for a moment ? " I asked. 
 
 " Not on my account," she answered. " I 
 believe we should only disturb her any way ; she 
 is engaged up to her eyes in preparations for the 
 evening." 
 
 I had my way, however, and we entered the 
 house for a friendly word with the old lady. 
 
 In the great room everything seemed in readi- 
 ness for the festivities of the evening. The 
 table glistened with fine crystal and rich, old-
 
 n8 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 fashioned silver plate. In the middle stood a 
 gracefully-shaped silver epergne, filled with field- 
 flowers, gold-dragon and jasmine, and over two 
 of the chairs an arbor of small green birch 
 branches had been formed. In front of these 
 two places of honor stood an immense cake, sur- 
 mounted by a sugar Cupid pointing his arrow 
 toward the chairs, as though he would pierce the 
 hearts of the two who should sit within the 
 arbor. 
 
 " Those seats are for Fritz and you," I whis- 
 pered, and looked anxiously at Lotta. She 
 appeared like one turned to stone as she gazed 
 at the arch. Around her mouth played ever the 
 old sneering smile, but there were tears in her 
 eyes. 
 
 " How frightful ! " I heard her say. 
 
 We found our hostess in an adjoining room, 
 where she was adorning the chandeliers with 
 wreaths. 
 
 " There," she said, " you have come through 
 the great room and seen the preparations, and I 
 wanted it all to be a surprise to Lotta. Our 
 people adorned the places for the happy pair. 
 But, now that you are here, you can help me 
 a little if you will, for Fritz left me in the 
 lurch to-day, and has not yet returned from his 
 ride." And she handed Lotta ribbon to make
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 119 
 
 bows and streamers for the wreaths, and called 
 upon me to assist her in what she was doing. 
 
 " Only think," she said, going on hastily with 
 her work all the while, "while I was busy in the 
 upper rooms this morning, I saw a carriage and 
 horses driven into the courtyard of the castle, 
 and Prince Otto in it, too. I only caught a 
 glimpse, but am sure it was he. I was surprised, 
 I can tell you. What could have brought him 
 here now ? I heard he had forsworn Roten- 
 berg altogether, and considered it a dull, poky 
 place, even though he does own such a fine resi- 
 dence here." 
 
 Lotta remained perfectly silent, and continued 
 cutting the long paper strips for tapers which 
 had just been handed her. 
 
 " You are quite right," I answered, " Prince 
 Otto is here." 
 
 The old lady threw down her wreath and 
 clasped her hands together. 
 
 " God in heaven ! " she cried, " I wonder what 
 he has done this time that he is sent here again 
 to do penance ! Children, you have the rascal 
 just opposite you ; be careful never to go near 
 your windows." 
 
 Lotta laughed suddenly at this, and so heartily 
 that her white teeth glistened through her parted 
 lips.
 
 i2o Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Do you know him personally ? " asked Lotta. 
 
 " Oh, yes, indeed," chatted the dear old lady ; 
 " he's a beautiful boy, looks just like Goethe 
 must have looked when he came back to Frie- 
 derika at Sesenheim. No wonder that he finds 
 favor with the women, but really he is too bad ; 
 but he heard the truth once from me any way, as 
 he doubtless never had heard it before. I could 
 do it, you know, for when he was a child he was 
 here with us all the time, playing with my youngest 
 boy, Max. Bless me ! how those two lads tore in 
 and out, now on the roof, now on the haymow, 
 and now on the topmost rafters of the barn ; it 
 seemed to me they were everywhere that they 
 had no business to be. Since he has grown up 
 he always comes in to see me and shake hands, 
 and he never fails to say : ' Frau Roden, I have 
 never eaten anything which tasted half so good 
 as those potato dumplings which you used to 
 bake for me ; you know how we used to sit in the 
 kitchen and eat them right hot out of the pan.' 
 But never mind that ; I was about to tell of the 
 lecture I gave him. That was over two years 
 ago. The duke had sent him here into confine- 
 ment on account of some wild prank I never 
 knew what that he might have time for reflec- 
 tion 'far from Madrid.' Well, I suppose he 
 did do some reflecting, but for the most part he
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 121 
 
 turned our quiet Rotenberg topsy-turvy. He 
 brought tight-rope dancers here ; he bought him- 
 self an elephant, on which he rode around the 
 castle garden dressed as a Turk ; he inveigled a 
 company of strolling players into our tumble- 
 down old theatre to play Offenbach's nonsense, 
 and all the boys in the village whistled the airs, 
 and their sisters sang the stupid stuff till we were 
 fain to stop our ears. 
 
 " He sent complimentary tickets to all the 
 families where there were any pretty daughters, 
 and had the boxes full of blondes and brunettes 
 every evening, each one prettier than the other, 
 and all the silly things were as conceited as if each 
 one had received some great honor and special 
 attention. 
 
 " Paul, the shoemaker, who lives over yonder 
 on the corner, had a dear little girl eighteen years 
 old, white and rosy, with dark blue eyes ; I never 
 saw a lovelier picture. She was a godchild of 
 mine, and I loved her tenderly. Well but it is 
 not right that I should tell you all this ; I'll 
 make it short. There came a day when Anna 
 would have given her life if it had not been as it 
 was. The foolish child left her father's house 
 stealthily in the night and fog, and went to her 
 aunt's up yonder in the mountains. She has 
 never come back. Her poor mother grieved her-
 
 122 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 self to death for the unfortunate girl, and to this 
 hour no one dares to speak her name in her 
 father's presence. What is done is done ! Just 
 at the time when the whole village was talking 
 about the affair, the young scapegrace had the 
 temerity to come and see me. 'Twas in the 
 twilight of a rainy autumn day ; I was not dis- 
 posed to let the opportunity pass, so I had it out 
 with him. 
 
 "'Your highness,' I said, 'those whom God 
 has set to rule over their fellows on earth, he has 
 elevated that they may be an example to their 
 subjects.' He looked at me and smiled. ' Why,' 
 said he, ' Frau Roden, that's a function which 
 my father, the duke, and my brother, the heir 
 apparent, are discharging to the best of their 
 ability.' I looked at him very earnestly ; we were 
 standing by the window, and I pointed over to 
 the shoemaker's little dwelling ; he kept on smil- 
 ing, but I was not to be turned aside. ' Your 
 highness,' I continued, ' 'twas only a poor cob- 
 bler's child, but her parents loved her just as 
 dearly as your mother loves you, in tears and sor- * 
 row.' This time the smile faded from his face, 
 and he gave me his hand. ' You may scold me, 
 Frau Roden,' he said, ' I know you mean well.' " 
 
 She ceased speaking. Lotta had turned aside 
 and was vigorously cutting paper ; the noise of
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 123 
 
 her clipping" was the only sound that broke the 
 silence. " Dear, dear," sighed the old lady after 
 a few moments, as she took up a duster from the 
 nearest chair, " what confusion and trouble he'll 
 bring again into our quiet village." 
 
 When, a half-hour later, we had returned to 
 our house, Lotta, who had seemed for a time to 
 be lost in thought, suddenly exclaimed : 
 
 " Do you know, Helena, he reminds me very 
 much of our Hans. Hans was just as merry and 
 amiable as Prince Otto." 
 
 " And just as deceitful and deficient in earnest- 
 ness and real generosity," I added. 
 
 About seven o'clock in the evening we went 
 over to the supper. Grandmother was attired in 
 ceremonious black, with a lace mantle thrown 
 over her shoulders, and a dainty lace cap on her 
 head ; I was dressed soberly in black silk with 
 long, sweeping train ; my only ornament was a 
 diamond brooch which had belonged to my 
 mother. Lotta led the way. She was indeed a 
 charming sight, with her slender girlish form in 
 a dress of snowy white, walking in the rosy glow 
 of the setting sun. There had been a slight 
 shower in the afternoon, and the air was delight- 
 fully fresh ; crystal drops were glistening still on 
 every leaf. 
 
 " I believe I am nervous," said Lotta. " I
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 wish it was well over and we were home 
 again." 
 
 She had hardly spoken when a manly form 
 stepped out from under the linden-trees and came 
 toward us. 
 
 " Lotta, dear girl, how beautiful you are ! " he 
 cried, seizing both her hands and holding her at 
 arm's length as he regarded her with delight. 
 " It was so good of you to wear a white dress. 
 It does not matter if we keep our guests waiting a 
 few moments, and, Helena, you will tell my mother 
 that we are coming immediately ; I must keep 
 Lotta here a moment to thank her for her good- 
 ness to-day." And he led her to a rustic seat 
 near by, sheltered by the low linden branches, 
 and upon which lay a magnificent bouquet of 
 rare flowers. 
 
 We hurried on, and my grandmother said : 
 
 " Do not you think Lotta is changed : that 
 she conceals something from us ? It seems to 
 me as if she was always trying to conquer a feel- 
 ing of aversion or repugnance toward him. Just 
 now I thought she would have given anything to 
 escape from him altogether." 
 
 Indeed, the betrothed pair were already com- 
 ing on behind us ;- the thanks must have been 
 cut short after all. They came up to us rather 
 formally ; Lotta was carrying her train in one
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 125 
 
 hand and her flowers in the other. She was 
 deadly pale, and he red. Strange to say, he did 
 not look well in evening dress with his white tie ; 
 his hunting-jacket and top-boots suited him much 
 better. 
 
 We could hear the sound of many voices as 
 we reached the house. Rieke, in snowy cap, 
 opened the door for us, and my grandmother 
 crossed the threshold leaning on my arm. As 
 we entered the large room the chatter ceased, 
 and the curious guests looked at us with interest 
 as our hostess introduced us : " The Frau von 
 Werthern and her eldest niece and here is the 
 dear bride of my son." 
 
 Fritz and Lotta had entered behind us. For 
 one instant there was silence, and then a perfect 
 stream of words were whispered over us : " Honor 
 joy acquaintance ! " Grandmother bowed to 
 all and then sat down on a sofa, and I seated 
 myself near the young Frau Diakonns. Lotta still 
 stood by the side of her fiance', until he, with 
 some haste, brought her a chair, which he placed 
 near me, and in which she sank immediately. 
 
 Our entrance seemed to have put a stop to all 
 general conversatien ; several of the young peo- 
 ple disappeared one after another through the 
 low window on to the lawn. Every one's glance 
 was directed toward the lovely, proud face of the
 
 126 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 future bride. Two young girls clad in some 
 rosy, gauzy material whispered with one another 
 and evidently compared notes. Fritz talked to 
 one of the gentlemen about the prospects for a 
 good harvest, and grandmother talked in a low 
 tone to Fran Oberforster. 
 
 I tried to draw Lotta into a harmless conver- 
 sation I was having with my little blonde neigh- 
 bor in regard to the acoustical properties of the 
 village church, but to no purpose she had evi- 
 dently decided that silence was golden. It made 
 me very sad ; I alone knew how charmingly 
 Lotta could converse when she wished. At last 
 some one mentioned the name " Prince Otto," 
 and then the tongues seemed loosened, and all 
 began, either in praise or blame, to discuss that 
 young nobleman. 
 
 " He will remain here, of course," said one. 
 
 " Oh, to be sure ! He has no greater desire 
 than to live always in our midst," quoth another. 
 
 " I wonder whether he will have a gondola 
 trip this time, such as he had two years ago ? " 
 cried a young lady with sparkling eyes. 
 
 "We shall know soon enough," said the bur- 
 germeister with a sigh. 
 
 "He will certainly have the theatre open," 
 interrupted the Frau Oberforster, evidently 
 pleased.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 127 
 
 "Oh, yes, for a spectacular play at least," 
 added her husband dryly. 
 
 There was much said both for and against the 
 prince. The gentlemen shrugged their shoulders 
 and did not seem anxious to talk about the gay 
 young man ; and the wives and daughters found 
 a thousand excuses for all his jolly pranks. 
 
 " It brings in some money to the poor people 
 when there are guests at the castle," said the 
 biirgermeister's practical wife. 
 
 " And we'll hear some good music occasion- 
 ally," said another. 
 
 " Rotenberg would be buried altogether if he 
 did not come occasionally." 
 
 " Indeed it would," sounded a chorus of young 
 girls' voices. 
 
 "There it is again, the old, old story," said 
 the chief forester, in a tone which brought every 
 one else to silence. " If any one wants to have 
 luck with the women he must get himself into a 
 dozen or two bad scrapes and see to it that he 
 goes through a certain number of love intrigues." 
 
 The chorus of ladies here brought the speaker 
 to a halt. 
 
 " That is not nice of you," said the super- 
 intendent's wife, " but you are always full of 
 malice." 
 
 All the ladies joined in the attack upon the
 
 128 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 laughing man, who, to escape the reproaches of 
 the enemy, ran to the window and thrust his fin- 
 gers into his ears. 
 
 " But, my dear ladies," he cried in supplicatory 
 accents, " it is an established fact, that whenever 
 a notorious robber has been executed, the officers 
 have always found among his effects thousands 
 of tender epistles." 
 
 The announcement that supper was ready 
 brought the debate to a close. 
 
 The affianced pair led the way into the dining- 
 room, and Lotta stood with impenetrable counte- 
 nance before her seat of honor ; then she took 
 her place beneath the hanging birch branches. 
 The sight of the girl's beautiful and motionless 
 face gave me a strange feeling of anxiety. I 
 noticed that she refused one dish after another, 
 that Fritz bent toward her with deep concern, 
 and then suddenly stood up and with one quick 
 stroke brought the whole arch to the ground. 
 
 I had received my place by the side of the 
 jovial chief forester. He was about to further 
 illustrate his former proposition, when he was 
 interrupted by a sharp ringing of glasses. 
 
 The superintendent had risen and struck his 
 glass, and was getting ready to make a speech. 
 
 He turned to the betrothed pair. He spoke 
 pf the happiness which must corqe to that house
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 129 
 
 into which so lovely a bride should enter. She 
 would find roses strewn upon the threshold in 
 gratitude for the roses of joy which she brought 
 with her. 
 
 He spoke of the Roden family, which had 
 dwelt so long in this house, and could look back 
 with pride upon a long line of honorable men 
 and virtuous women ; and he remarked with 
 especial emphasis that she who gave her hand to 
 the last of the Rodens might well deem herself 
 blessed, for from his youth he had always been a 
 man whose heart was in the right spot. And so 
 he drank to the health of the young pair, whom 
 he hoped soon to see before the altar of St. 
 Mary's Church: "A happy courtship and a 
 peaceful married life." 
 
 " God save ! " cried all the guests in rousing 
 chorus, as they crowded round the fiance's with 
 their champagne glasses in their hands. 
 
 In the midst of the tumult I saw opposite to 
 me the open door, and in the doorway stood 
 Prince Otto. 
 
 Frau Roden observed him before any one else. 
 I heard her astonished " God preserve us the 
 prince ! " 
 
 Then she stepped rapidly forward to bid him 
 welcome. 
 
 He was no stranger in that company, and his 
 9
 
 130 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 coming occasioned only joyous surprise. After 
 a gallant compliment to my grandmother and a 
 hearty grasp of the hand with Fritz Roden, he 
 took a chair and seated himself by Lotta's side, 
 begging that the guests would not disturb them- 
 selves on his account. He had, he said, only 
 come to bring his personal congratulations to his 
 old playfellow, and would straightway disappear. 
 
 Indeed, no one was disturbed by his coming, 
 he began to chat so innocently with Lotta, 
 drank toasts with Fritz, and laughed as heartily 
 as any young man would who knows that he is 
 a welcome guest in a merry company. He de- 
 clined to eat anything, but he sipped the spark- 
 ling champagne with evident satisfaction. 
 
 I observed, too, that Lotta sipped her glass 
 more frequently ; soon her eyes began to sparkle 
 with their old fire, her tongue was loosened, and 
 she was again her old fascinating self. 
 
 Her betrothed sat silent, and played with his 
 empty glass. He and I were the only ones in 
 the company who were not gayly chatting. I 
 was almost suffocated by a nameless fear. The 
 warm room, with its heavy odors of wine and 
 food and flowers, was becoming intolerable to me. 
 But no one thought of rising, for the prince still 
 sat at Lotta's side, drinking and chatting, forget- 
 ful that he had spoken of leaving.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 131 
 
 At length he sprang to his feet and offered 
 Lotta his arm. 
 
 "To the garden, ladies and gentlemen," he 
 exclaimed ; " it is a wonderful spring night out 
 of doors." 
 
 "Come, Helena," whispered Fritz, as he gave 
 me his arm. 
 
 He fairly dragged me along after the handsome 
 pair, who were already moving through the hall, 
 past the line of gaping servants, toward the gar- 
 den. 
 
 Soft moonlight filled the night, the perfume of 
 flowers was in the air, and in the bushes sang the 
 nightingale. 
 
 As if in a dream I walked behind Lotta's white 
 and lightly moving form. Neither of us spoke, 
 but I knew by the restless light of his eye that 
 Fritz's heart was suffering. I felt for him an 
 unspeakable compassion ; the hot tears rolled 
 down my cheeks and would not be restrained. 
 
 " Are you crying, Helena ? " he asked. 
 
 " No," I said, ashamed to confess the truth. 
 
 " How do you like his highness ? " he inquired 
 with a bitter accent. But before I could answer 
 he added : 
 
 " Let us turn about. I am tired of loitering 
 in their wake." 
 
 I made no move to comply, however.
 
 132 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " What would you have me to do then, 
 Helena ? " he said softly. " True gold would 
 not melt in a fire where there is so much more 
 flame than heat." 
 
 We turned around then and went back in 
 silence. As we came near to the lindens, we 
 passed close by the windows of the banqueting 
 hall. The chief forester was inside, and was fill- 
 ing all the glasses from a great punchbowl. 
 
 " Now sing, friends," we heard him say. " But 
 where are the young people ? Oh, sure enough, 
 scattered through the garden in sentimental 
 promenade. Well, well, we did no better in our 
 time." 
 
 I could not bear that Fritz should show him- 
 self to the merry party without Lotta, so I led 
 him aside unobserved along the path leading to 
 the lindens. I felt I must say something, and I 
 could think of nothing but Hans. 
 
 " You said some time ago that you would write 
 to a friend in New York ; did you do it ? " 
 
 "Yes, indeed." 
 
 " Did you receive no answer ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I received an answer, Helena ; but 
 do not let us talk of that to-night. Let us 
 go in." 
 
 "Not without Lotta," I said stubbornly. 
 
 " We must not coerce any one," said he. " She
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 133 
 
 is doubtless amusing herself. Do you hear that, 
 Helena ? " 
 
 And as he spoke we heard her merry laugh in 
 the distance. 
 
 " That is she, is it not ? " said he ; " no one but 
 Lotta can laugh like that." 
 
 Just then I caught a glimpse of her white 
 dress, and I called to her loudly, " Lotta, Lotta, 
 y<d\\\ fiance is looking for you." 
 
 She came toward us, and in the moonlight 1 
 could see the warm glow on her cheeks, the 
 merry light in her eyes, and the happy smile on 
 her lips. 
 
 Silently she walked by Fritz's side, and 
 silently the prince walked by mine. Presently 
 his highness said, in an indifferent tone : 
 
 " I think, perhaps, it would be better for me 
 to take French leave, otherwise my going might 
 disturb the company. In my boyhood I learned 
 all the paths about here, and if I push through 
 that bush yonder I can in a moment reach the 
 garden gate unobserved. Good-night, Fraulein 
 von Werthern." 
 
 The next instant ,the bushes closed behind the 
 graceful form, and he had disappeared. 
 
 All the company had come out under the 
 trees, and the singing began. Even the old 
 folks joined in the refrain. Lotta sat beside her
 
 134 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 lover, leaning her head against the trunk of a 
 tree, and looking up into the gently waving 
 branches. Grandmother came up to me quickly, 
 and whispered : 
 
 " Take me home, Helena, I want to go to rest. 
 " You can come back, you know." 
 
 But I remained at home, and sat down on the 
 balcony that looked out over the garden. The 
 lights in the mansion house shone brightly through 
 the leaves of the trees, and the songs they sang 
 below me reached me plainly where I sat. At 
 length the strain died away and the singers dis- 
 persed, but the nightingale warbled on alone. 
 
 I heard steps on the path beneath, and the 
 rustle of a woman's dress. It was Lotta and 
 Fritz. They paused under the balcony. " Good- 
 night," he said tenderly, and kissed her as he 
 spoke. " And once again I must thank you for 
 the picture. It has given me a most heartfelt 
 pleasure." 
 
 But she only shook her head hastily. 
 
 "Good-night," she said. 
 
 Her words sounded very loud and very cold ; 
 then she disappeared like a sprite. 
 
 We retired without exchanging a word. But 
 during the night, as I awoke from a deep slumber, 
 I saw her sitting up in bed, staring into the moon- 
 light, erect and motionless.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ROTENBERG stood upon its head it is no 
 exaggeration to say so. The little sleepy town 
 appeared to have been suddenly transformed. 
 From the castle tower the great red-white flag 
 floated gayly in the soft May air, and all the 
 shops were decorated with smaller ones of like 
 color. 
 
 It looked now as if the prince's stay would be 
 much longer than we had imagined from his care- 
 less words to us on the day of his arrival. On 
 the ground floor a cook appeared with his long 
 white apron and cap to match, and on the even- 
 ing of the second day several carriages and 
 horses and two lackeys had arrived. The prince 
 had come to stay, at least until some new whim 
 called him away. 
 
 It was a pleasant change for the good Roten- 
 berg folk. There was to be a concert in the 
 park, and an illumination at the Hermitage. 
 Booths and tents had been put up for Roten- 
 berg's annual rifle match on the meadows just
 
 136 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 before the prince's arrival. He was an honor- 
 ary member of the association, and when it was 
 known that he would be present at the match, 
 the club erected in his honor a gorgeous tent in 
 the ducal colors, red- and white. On every 
 street corner were pasted enormous play-bills : 
 
 " DUCAL COURT THEATRE OF ROTENBERG. 
 " The Beautiful Galatea" 
 
 The morning after the festivities at Frau 
 Roden's, we were awakened from our slumber by 
 strains of solemn music : it was the town band 
 serenading the prince. It was the beginning of 
 a jolly season for the young people of the town. 
 We alone sat quietly at home more quietly 
 than ever. Lotta had chosen the little balcony 
 for her retreat, and there, under the dark red 
 awning which I had constructed out of some old 
 curtains, she sat, day after day, reading, sewing, 
 or gazing dreamily into the garden. She was 
 not even to be persuaded to take a walkj for 
 one day, as we wandered along a lonely forest 
 path, his highness suddenly stood before us, and 
 with the most gracious persistency had com- 
 pelled us to accept his company for the rest of 
 our walk. He brought us home through the 
 main street and past the Roden mansion. The
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 137 
 
 villagers opened their windows to look after 
 us. Fritz, who saw us coming, met us at the 
 gate and escorted us home through the garden. 
 He made no remark, neither did we, but after 
 that Lotta would not go out any more. 
 
 One day a lackey brought us an invitation to a 
 " bal champetre " in the castle grounds. Lotta 
 hardly looked at the note, and put it aside at 
 once. 
 
 " Can we refuse ? " asked grandmother, with a 
 sigh. 
 
 "I certainly shall," said Lotta. 
 
 " To be sure," said I to the old lady ; " we are 
 in mourning." 
 
 " For me he is only an unmarried gentleman," 
 explained Lotta, " who has not the right to 
 receive ladies. The people here may esteem it 
 an honor to obey his highness's command, but I 
 am not ambitious for such a distinction." 
 
 " I am sure I am satisfied," said the old lady, 
 as she took up her newspaper and buried herself 
 in the description of the ceremonies accompany- 
 ing the unveiling of the statue of Friedrich Wil- 
 helm III., in the pleasure gardens at Berlin. 
 Her newspaper was the only thing for which 
 grandmother showed any interest ; every now 
 and then as she read she gave utterance to a mur- 
 mur of approval or dissent, then she would shake
 
 138 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 her head in anger as she noted the disturbances 
 the French were making. , Often she would turn 
 to us and tell with great vivacity how, in her early- 
 youth, she had heard the sound of the guns at 
 the battle of Leipsic. Her father's estate lay on 
 the Saxon frontier, some three miles from the 
 battle-field. She became very much excited, and 
 seemed to renew her youth during these narra- 
 tions. " We shall certainly live to see another 
 Leipsic ! " was the prophecy with which she 
 habitually closed her recitals. 
 
 "God be praised, we are living in times of the 
 most profound peace," I whispered, and thought 
 of the anxiety I had suffered on account of Hans 
 in the war of 1866. What cared I for Napoleon 
 and Luxembourg and the Spanish Succession ? 
 Here at home a battle was being fought, hard and 
 hot, destroying both peace and happiness. 
 
 Lotta was plainly ill at ease during these long 
 spring days, and evidently had something on her 
 mind often. She walked the rooms impatiently 
 and with flushed cheeks, and twice when in this 
 restless mood sent the maid hastily across the 
 garden for Fritz, as though she had something to 
 tell him which she could no longer repress. But 
 on each occasion, when he came in answer to her 
 message, she shut herself in her room as soon as 
 his footsteps were heard, and it was with diffi-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 139 
 
 culty I could induce her to go out and meet the 
 puzzled lover who had responded to her bidding. 
 The meetings were painful in the extreme, for 
 Lotta sat almost silent, manifestly distressed by 
 his presence, so that he soon went away again, 
 sad and anxious as he had come. 
 
 On the day on which we had despatched our 
 regrets to the ball Anita appeared : 
 
 " The prince had sent to ask whether he 
 might pay his respects to Frau von Werthern ? " 
 
 The old lady was fairly in ecstasy at this con- 
 descension, and informed the smiling Anita that 
 she would consider it an honor to receive his 
 highness. 
 
 That afternoon, between four and five, he came 
 and paid his respects to grandmother in the 
 most deferential manner. Lotta was not visible. 
 With glistening eyes he searched for a moment 
 in every corner of the room, and then chatted 
 cheerily about all sorts of harmless things; about 
 his mother, about his visit to Baden-Baden, his 
 travels in the East, and, finally, he spoke of 
 Rotenberg and of his ball, and just at that 
 moment Lotta came in. 
 
 I looked at her in surprise. She had donned 
 in all haste a white summer dress, and her face 
 was as colorless as the gown she wore. 
 
 Prince Otto sprang to his feet as if electrified.
 
 140 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " We were just speaking of my little fete ; you 
 must come, Fraulein von Werthern." 
 
 " I regret exceedingly to decline, your high- 
 ness. You know that we are still in mourning 
 for our father," she replied pleasantly. 
 
 " Then I will recall the invitations," he cried. 
 
 " Oh, by no means, your highness," she stam- 
 mered, blushing. " I beg that you will excuse 
 me ! " 
 
 He made no answer, and in a few moments 
 took his departure. 
 
 On the same evening letters flew through the 
 little town stating that the fete would be post- 
 poned on account of a journey which the prince 
 was about to undertake ; even we received one 
 of the missives. 
 
 "God be praised, he's going to leave the town," 
 I said to myself. But he had no such thought. 
 
 On the day which had been appointed for the 
 ball, he sat calmly reading by his open window. 
 
 Anita came across the street to speak to Lotta. 
 
 " I am bringing back some paints which your 
 sister forgot," she said, and slipping by me went 
 up to the balcony where Lotta sat knitting 
 
 I wanted to follow her, but I feared to face 
 Lotta, for I knew her eyes would say, " What do 
 you want here ? " 
 
 When I went up to her at last, I found them
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 141 
 
 talking of Italy, and other indifferent things, and 
 the colors lay upon the table. 
 
 " Do you know, Helena," said Lotta, " I am 
 going to take lessons in Italian. Anita is going 
 to teach me, and we have begun already. Oh, it 
 is a heavenly language ! " 
 
 I looked at them in astonishment, but I could 
 find no valid reason for my repugnance to the 
 arrangement. 
 
 " To be sure, Lotta, if you think it neces- 
 sary 
 
 " No, it is not necessary," she retorted with 
 some irritation, " neither is it necessary to paint 
 and read ; I suppose you think that all that sort 
 of thing is superfluous art and beauty and 
 poetry, none of those things are necessary ! 
 Bah ! It's a dreadful word. I hate it ! " 
 
 " Well, Lotta, do as you like if it gives you 
 any pleasure." 
 
 She was right enough, but the teacher was the 
 stumbling-block to me. 
 
 " Oh, I mean to do it, and we begin to-mor- 
 row." 
 
 In the afternoon she put on her straw hat, 
 took her little portemonnaie, and went out ; when 
 she came back she brought with her a number of 
 copy-books and an old dilapidated Italian gram- 
 mar ; her enthusiasm was always at red heat
 
 14 2 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 over anything new. That evening I went ovet 
 tor a moment to see Fran Roden. Fritz had 
 just come in from the field, and I met him in the 
 hall. 
 
 " Alone ? " he asked sadly. 
 
 ' Yes, Fritz, for Lotta is learning Italian ; she 
 .otends to take lessons from Anita." And in my 
 anxiety, I added : " Don't allow her to do it, 
 Fritz; put your foot down and forbid it." 
 
 He looked at me with open eyes. 
 
 " I forbid it ? " he said bitterly, and turned 
 and went into his room without another word. 
 
 Frau Roden turned pale when I told her of 
 this new caprice, but she suppressed her vexa- 
 tion and said nothing. As I was leaving, she 
 said : " His energy is all gone, Helena ; he has 
 always been a determined man, but he seems 
 utterly powerless now to bring this wretched 
 business to an end with one firm word. Oh, 
 Helena, such natures feel the most ; he loves her 
 too well, too well ! " 
 
 I tried to comfort her, and said that Lotta's 
 was not a petty nature, that she had pride and 
 nobility enough of soul to keep her word in its 
 entirety. 
 
 But the old lady only snook her head : " Per- 
 haps she will, I don't doubt that, but well, God 
 will help ! " She dried her tears.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 143 
 
 We were soon well into the summer, and 
 Rotenberg was enjoying the pleasures of the sea- 
 son, but it brought little change into our quiet 
 life. There was music in the Schutzen Park and 
 in the concert gardens ; in the evening the peo- 
 ple went in crowds to the theatre, and the sounds 
 of their footsteps and of their laughing voices 
 broke the silence of our secluded room. In the 
 castle opposite the windows gleamed brightly 
 every night, but there was evidently something 
 wrong, for Prince Otto was no longer his old 
 self; his box at the theatre remained empty, his 
 tent at the Schutzen Park remained empty, and 
 the pretty Rodenberg maidens donned their 
 most becoming costumes in vain. Prince Otto 
 eschewed society ; all intercourse between him 
 and the towns-people was cut off. 
 
 " What does he do then ? " they asked of one 
 another. 
 
 *' He reads, he paints, he's in a bad humor," 
 said Anita to us. 
 
 " What about ? " inquired grandmother. Anita 
 shrugged her shoulders and made no reply. 
 
 " Is he not going away soon ? " I asked. 
 
 " Has no thought of it," rejoined the little 
 Italian ; " his library arrived day before yester- 
 day." 
 
 Something is wrong then, I thought to myself,
 
 /-1 4 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 and looked over at Lotta, who, however, nevel 
 raised her eyes from her Italian grammar. 
 
 " There is something wrong," said grand- 
 mother, as she started in to read the editorial in 
 her newspaper a second time. Presently she laid 
 down her paper and launched out into a long 
 and Circumstantial discussion of the house of 
 Hohenzollern, of Spain, and of Napoleon III. 
 
 I listened very inattentively, for my thoughts 
 were with Lotta and Fritz. At length there 
 came a day which I can never forget. 
 
 Lotta had risen early and taken her seat on the 
 balcony. It had rained the night before, and the 
 heavens were darkened with heavy, gray clouds. 
 The girl had wrapped herself in a soft, warm 
 shawl as if she were cold ; she held Schnips on 
 her lap. When I brought her her breakfast she 
 looked up at me with such dull, languid eyes 
 that I was frightened. 
 
 " Lotta," I said, " you are ill ? " 
 
 " I believe I am," she answered. 
 
 " What is wrong with you, dear ? speak," I 
 said anxiously. 
 
 " Come inside," she replied. 
 
 And when we stood inside the room, she said, 
 in curt, hard tones : " It has got to end. I can- 
 not bear it any longer ; I cannot keep my word 
 to Fritz Roden."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 145 
 
 Now it was out. 
 
 " Lotta ! " 
 
 "I cannot do it," she repeated firmly. 
 
 And as I remained silent, she continued, in a 
 quiet voice : " I have never loved him. I thought 
 it would be so easy, and did not know what I was 
 doing when I said yes. I thought I could not 
 support such a miserable existence as we are now 
 leading, and, indeed, I could not have supported 
 it, and then there was Hans I hoped to save 
 him. You know what I mean, Helena." 
 
 She put her arm caressingly on my shoulder, 
 but I pushed her away from me and covered my 
 face with my hands ; bitter tears ran down my 
 cheeks. 
 
 " Well, speak anyway ! " she cried impatiently. 
 
 " Oh, you are terrible ! " I sobbed. 
 
 " How so ? " she said. " Good heavens ! is it 
 because at the last moment I have the courage 
 to confess the truth ? From day to day I have 
 hoped that he would throw my ring at my feet in 
 honest anger ; but he would not do it, and now I 
 must cut the knot. I can't endure it any longer. 
 I am disgusted with this farce. Go to him, 
 Helena, tell him the truth. Make me as bad as 
 you will or can, but bring me my freedom, and 
 bring it to me forthwith." 
 
 She had spoken in a loud voice.
 
 146 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " I cannot do it," I replied in deep distress. 
 
 I thought of his true, honest eyes and his sad 
 face. No, I could not do it ! I turned to close 
 the door, that grandmother might not hear our 
 conversation. 
 
 "But I can do it," said a trembling voice, and 
 in the doorway we saw the pale face of Fritz's 
 mother. The old lady stepped into the room, 
 which was only faintly lighted, and stood before 
 us. Lotta hung her head before her for the first 
 time. 
 
 " I can do it, Charlotte," she repeated, " and 
 I will do it at once ! " 
 
 She ceased speaking, and the stillness of death 
 reigned in the little room. We heard only the 
 quick breathing of the mother, who wished to 
 speak, but could not for her pain. Then sud- 
 denly she turned and went away without a word, 
 through the next room and down the stairs. 
 
 As Frau Roden left the room, I felt myself 
 overcome with despair. 
 
 " Lotta," I moaned, " Lotta, do reflect. There 
 is yet time. Call her back. Say that you have 
 spoken too quickly. You cannot be so horribly 
 cruel and hard. You have always kept your 
 word ; do not make me so unhappy." 
 
 " For that very reason I will break this engage- 
 ment," she said firmly and coldly.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 147 
 
 I ran to the balcony. The indignant mother 
 was far on her way home. Her step was not 
 hesitating or slow, but brisk and firm, as if she 
 feared a recall. Never in my life have I felt 
 more unhappy and humiliated than in that hour. 
 This was our gratitude for the benefits we had 
 received. 
 
 Lotta remained calm ; she began to make her 
 toilet. Her hands trembled a little and a faint, 
 red glow marked her cheeks. She breathed 
 deeply and freely, as if a mountain had been lifted 
 from her heart. When she was dressed she came 
 over to grandmother. 
 
 " Grandmother," she said in a firm voice, " I 
 have broken off my engagement." 
 
 The old lady looked at her with a dazed air. 
 
 " Do not jest on such a subject," she said 
 severely. 
 
 " I am not jesting. I cannot marry him." 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 " I do not love him." 
 
 " And what right had you then to go through 
 all this farce ? " cried the venerable old lady, and 
 her eyes flashed fire. " Do you think you can 
 play with an honest man's heart as you would 
 with your dog ? Oh, no, child, I have a word 
 to say on that subject. If you in childish wan- 
 tonness have spoken an unjustifiable word, go at
 
 148 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 once to your lover and beg his pardon. At 
 once ! " 
 
 The trembling woman raised herself almost 
 out of her chair and pointed imperiously toward 
 the door. And with all her severity, it was plain 
 to read in her old eyes the expression of a name- 
 less fear. 
 
 " Grandmother," said Lotta, almost beside her- 
 self, " you cannot wish that ? You dare not 
 wish that ? " 
 
 " I wish you to keep the pledge which you 
 have freely given," came the answer. " Go ! " 
 
 " I go, but I shall not come again," replied 
 the girl in a threatening tone ; " before 1 would 
 marry him, I would rather die." 
 
 " Go ! " repeated the old lady a second time. 
 
 Lotta turned away defiantly, but before she 
 reached the door, before I could hasten after 
 her, the coachman had entered and handed her 
 a little package. She grasped it eagerly and tore 
 it open. As she did so her ring fell from the 
 paper on to the floor, and rolled over to my feet. 
 
 "Too late," moaned grandmother, and sank 
 back in her chair, burying her grief-stricken face 
 in the cushions. I stooped, picked up the ring, 
 and placed it on the bureau. 
 
 An hour later I determined to go over to the 
 mansion house. I felt that I must speak a kind
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 149 
 
 word to its sorely injured inmates ; but my heart 
 was sore afraid. I feared they would turn me out 
 with hatred and contempt because of my sister's 
 acts. As I reached the garden gate, I saw Anita 
 standing on the other side with her hand on the 
 latch. Sure enough this was Italian day. 
 
 " I do not believe that my sister will be pre- 
 pared to-day to " I stammered. 
 
 She looked at me inquiringly, and then said : 
 
 " I will ask. I can go away again if it is not 
 convenient." 
 
 I hastened on to the Roden house. Frau 
 Roden was standing in the hall as quietly as if 
 nothing had happened, watching a girl pour out 
 the foaming milk. She did not see me until I 
 was quite near, but she held out her hand at 
 once. Then she pointed to his chamber door, 
 laid her finger on her lips and led me upstairs. 
 I followed her into the room which we had occu- 
 pied on our first night in Rotenberg. 
 
 " He might come into my room down stairs," 
 she explained, " and he could not bear to see 
 you to-day." 
 
 She drew me over toward a small sofa which 
 stood between the windows. 
 
 "Tell me," I begged, "how he bears it." 
 
 She had overcome her emotion by this time, 
 yet at mv words the tears ran down her cheeks.
 
 /5 Two Dtiiighters of One Race. 
 
 " He had seen it coming, of course," she said, 
 " but nevertheless At first he wanted to go 
 over to her ; he could not realize what had hap- 
 pened. Now he has shut himself in his room. 
 I can say nothing, for in such moments all con- 
 solation is empty and vain. After a while he 
 sent David over ; he brought her the ring, did 
 he not ?" 
 
 I answered in the affirmative. 
 
 " It is ended now," she said. " \Vhy must this 
 all have happened ? His whole heart was bound 
 up in her." 
 
 As she spoke she sprang to her feet. " That 
 was his voice ; he is calling for his horse." 
 
 We stood breathless by the half open door 
 and listened. He was speaking calmly to old 
 Miiller, the overseer : only a few words reached 
 us where we stood. 
 
 " The news Benedetti never heard the like 
 before war will be upon us before we know it." 
 
 " Suits me well enough," we heard the overseer 
 answer. 
 
 " It is easy for him to talk," whispered the old 
 lady, "for his years will keep him safe at home." 
 
 The next instant we heard Fritz's reply : 
 
 " It suits me too, Miiller, very well." 
 
 In a few minutes more we heard the sound of 
 his horse's hoofs, as he rode away. I hastened
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 15! 
 
 to the window, and watched him ride down the 
 street and past our house, calm and erect as 
 ever. His mother followed his course with 
 moist and shining eyes. 
 
 " God be praised," said I, " he seems 
 calm." 
 
 "He seems," replied she ; "you do not know 
 my boy." 
 
 After a short pause she added : " There goes 
 the first news of the breach out to the world," 
 pointing to Anita, who was hurrying along under 
 the chestnuts. " Phew ! that will be a sweet 
 morsel for the gossips, and his highness, too, will 
 not be sorry to hear it." 
 
 "The prince?" I said indignantly ; "what dif- 
 ference does it make to him ? " The old lady 
 laid her hand on my shoulder. 
 
 "God grant that it may not end in tears." 
 
 " But Lotta is not thinking of him, I assure 
 you." 
 
 She turned away without an answer, pressed 
 my hand silently, and as she saw the tears in my 
 eyes, she tapped me softly on the cheek. 
 
 " We shall remain good friends, my dear ; I 
 am not one of those who visit their resentment 
 upon the innocent. Come over often ; and take 
 a greeting from me now to my old friend Frau 
 von Werthern."
 
 152 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 '' Do you think this talk about the war is seri- 
 ous ?" I asked. 
 
 " God's will be done," she answered. " I fear 
 the worst." 
 
 When I reached our rooms again, I found 
 Lotta sitting at the window in the front room ; 
 she did not move, and I passed her by and went 
 over to where grandmother was sitting. Grand- 
 mother's jewel casket lay open before her, and 
 she was looking at a pair of splendid diamond 
 earrings. 
 
 '" This is the last," she whispered, and the gems 
 glittered coldly in her trembling hand. " Pack 
 them up, Helena, and send them to Friedbcrg & 
 Sons, Unter den Linden ; and there is the let- 
 ter which is to accompany them. I have writ- 
 ten- it very badly, for my old arms are very 
 lame." 
 
 " What do you mean to do, grandmother ? " I 
 asked fearfully. 
 
 I knew the earrings : they were a souvenir of 
 the days of youth and happiness : the old lady 
 never looked at them without tears. 
 
 " They were a present from my husband the 
 day the boy was born," she had frequently ex- 
 plained to us. 
 
 " The boy " was my father, and he was lying 
 now in the churchyard at Berlin. But these
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. . 153 
 
 stones had always possessed the power to bring 
 back as by a charm the fairest hour in her life 
 when father lay in his cradle, a crowing, laughing 
 babe, and grandmother's dear old face, so faded 
 and wrinkled now, was fresh and bright and 
 young, and wreathed with happy smiles for hus- 
 band and child. 
 
 " What do you mean to do ? " 
 
 " Pay back to Fritz Roden the sum which 
 he advanced to Hans. What does he care for 
 Hans?" 
 
 " He will be hurt," I interposed. 
 
 " I will not accept alms," she replied proudly. 
 "Lotta herself has begged me to do it." 
 
 I did as she bade me ; but as I looked at her 
 face I saw that her features were terribly dis- 
 torted : the marks of care, torturing, agonizing 
 care and fear. 
 
 " What will become of you and Lotta ? " she 
 whispered. "And then the clouds which threaten 
 us from France. When you come back, Helena, 
 I want you to read the paper to me. The king 
 is in Berlin, the city is in the greatest excite- 
 ment. Thiers has spoken for peace ; as if that 
 could do any good. I am awfully afraid, Helena. 
 I thought once I should die happy if I could 
 know our country once more victorious over the 
 French, who have done us so much harm. But
 
 154 T U ' Daughters of One Race. 
 
 now I want to die in peace. Yet I shall never 
 live to see the end of the struggle." 
 
 " Oh, grandmother," I pleaded, "do not speak 
 so." I could think of nothing to say which 
 would comfort her. I sealed the package, and 
 pursuant to her wish I was about to take it my- 
 self to the post-office, when my eyes rested on 
 Lotta. She was still at the window ; her hand- 
 kerchief was in her hand, and she was waving a 
 greeting to some one outside. As I cast an as- 
 tonished glance out of the window and across 
 to the castle I caught a glimpse of a retiring 
 form, behind which the heavy curtains fell to- 
 gether. 
 
 " Lotta ! " I cried reproachfully. 
 
 She turned about, and for a moment there 
 played upon her girlish face a rosy, happy smile ; 
 then her look changed, and her features settled 
 into the old hard, severe expression. 
 
 "What do you wish?" she asked sullenly. 
 
 " Nothing," I exclaimed, and hurried past her 
 into the street. As I went my way I kept saying 
 to myself, " No, no ; it is impossible ; it is impos- 
 sible. I must have made a mistake." 
 
 That evening the castle windows remained 
 dark ; but about ten o'clock a wagon rattled 
 through our street, and I fancied that some one 
 waved a handkerchief toward our windows.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 155 
 
 That night I wanted to ask Lotta frankly if I had 
 been making a mistake, or if I had really seen 
 what I thought I had observed. But when I 
 entered our bed-chamber she was already slum- 
 bering, and her lips were wreathed with an un- 
 conscious smile. I did not rouse her, but went 
 back to grandmother, who was wakeful and 
 wanted me to read to her. The old lady lay 
 propped up in her pillows with her hands folded 
 on her breast. Her pale lips moved but slightly. 
 
 " God grant that it may all come out right. 
 May he watch over our king and country," she 
 said at last, as I ceased reading from sheer ex- 
 haustion. " We are on the eve of great events, 
 and there is coming a time of mighty deeds and 
 terrible suffering, Helena ; but remember what 
 I say the victory will be ours, the victory will 
 be ours ! " 
 
 I looked at her questioningly, for I had read 
 almost mechanically ; my thoughts were with 
 Lotta. The words had fallen from my lips like 
 empty sounds. But I remembered now ; it was 
 war that threatened us. And I remembered, 
 too, how on that very morning Fritz had hailed 
 the awful tidings with delight, for he wished to 
 forget. 
 
 Toward morning a violent storm swept over 
 the town. A terrible clap of thunder aroused
 
 156 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 both Lotta and myself. The rain rattled sharply 
 on the tin roof of the balcony and against the 
 window frames. I arose and prepared to go in 
 to grandmother, for she was always terrified by a 
 storm. I had to pass close by Lotta's bed, and 
 as I did so she opened her eyes and gave me a 
 bright look from underneath her long lashes ; then 
 she put out her hand and laid hold of my gown. 
 
 " Helena, are you angry with me ? " And as I 
 looked at her with an earnest face, she loosed her 
 hold and said : " Oh, you are so different from 
 me ; so rational, so cold, so eternally calm and 
 self-contained. Did your heart ever beat so fast, 
 Helena, that you could not breathe ? Were you 
 ever fairly dizzy with sheer joy and happiness ?" 
 
 " Let me go," I cried, irritated and incensed. 
 " Perhaps I may understand you some time, but 
 I cannot comprehend you now. I am too sad 
 and care-oppressed. Now let me go to grand- 
 mother ; she was so greatly excited yesterday." 
 
 " I shall get up, too," Lotta called after me. 
 " I fancy that this rain will have brought all the 
 roses in the garden to full bloom." Her voice 
 sounded so fresh and joyous ; it had not such a 
 ring for a long time. 
 
 The old lady was still sleeping. Motionless 
 she lay in her pillows just as I had left her the 
 night before. Another terrible crash of thunder
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 15? 
 
 shook the house to its foundation, but she 
 neither opened her eyes nor moved. I crept 
 softly to her bed and bent over her. Her coun- 
 tenance as she lay cushioned in the downy pil- 
 lows was strangely white and calm. In speech- 
 less terror I seized her hand it was cold as ice. 
 That was not sleep ! I gave a piercing scream 
 of horror and despair, and fell upon the floor. 
 We were alone in the world absolutely alone. 
 Lotta, hearing my cry, came running into the 
 room in her night-dress. Her frightened eyes 
 took in at a glance the horrible truth. " Dead ! " 
 she cried, and a nervous shudder seized her 
 frame. 
 
 " Dead, dead," I sobbed, " and it is your fault 
 Our only protection, our only refuge." 
 
 This time Lotta was the stronger, and showed 
 the greater self-control. 
 
 " Helena, be calm. Give me your hand and 
 get up ; we are not unprotected. Do not look 
 at the darkest side alone." As she spoke she 
 stepped across my prostrate form, and bent her 
 warm young face over the wrinkled hand of the 
 dead. 
 
 " Grandmother, forgive me ! " 
 
 While I lay on the floor by the dead like one 
 destroyed, Lotta hastened to dress. Soon I 
 heard her send the charwoman over to Anita
 
 158 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 with the news of our loss. A short time after- 
 ward the little Italian appeared in the chamber 
 of death. 
 
 Lotta and she lifted me up and brought me 
 into our bedroom. I felt the cologne water with 
 which they bathed my temples, and drank me- 
 chanically the black coffee which Lotta offered 
 to me. Then, as if in a dream, I heard her say : 
 
 "See to it, Anita, that the letter^goes off at 
 once." 
 
 ".Certainly, Fraulein. You need not trouble 
 yourself about anything. I will care for every- 
 thing. Just now I will open the windows in the 
 other room and set things to rights there. I will 
 bring some flowers from the garden, and arrange 
 your poor grandmother just as you would wish. 
 And if you should desire to give any orders for 
 the mourning or for the coffin 
 
 At this point I lifted my head from the couch. 
 
 " You shall not touch Frau von Werthern," I 
 cried. 
 
 "But, Helena," said Lotla soothingly, "you 
 cannot possibly attend to everything." But with- 
 out heeding her words I rose and went into 
 grandmother's room and closed the door behind 
 me. They did not attempt to follow me, and I 
 sat down by the bedside of the woman who had 
 been the only mother I had ever known, over-
 
 To-'O Daughters of One Race. 159 
 
 come by the thought that with her death, Lotta 
 and I had lost the last stay of our young lives. 
 
 I had been there quite a while when my 
 revery was broken by the touch of a soft hand 
 on my shoulder. "Poor child," said the gentle 
 voice of Frau Roden. " My dear, good old 
 friend." And she stroked the wrinkled cheeks 
 of the dead with a loving hand. She laid a 
 linen handkerchief over the sightless eyes, and 
 crossed the listless hands upon the breast whose 
 heaving was all past now ; then she smoothed 
 out the folds of the coverlid, and turning to me, 
 said : 
 
 " Come, Helena, I will draw the curtains and 
 open the window yonder. Come out of this 
 close room. Your grandmother will sleep on 
 here peacefully and still, for she has passed into 
 that rest which brings surcease of sorrow and 
 relief from care. Let us go over into your bed- 
 chamber ; we will be alone there." 
 
 As we passed through the sitting-room Lotta 
 sat at the desk, writing. Anita was bustling about 
 in heavy crape already. Great God ! It must 
 be so ! Happy are they who, in such an hour, 
 can preserve an undisturbed exterior. On reach- 
 ing my room, I sank into a chair like one be- 
 numbed. 
 
 " Keep your courage up, my dear Helena,"
 
 160 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 said Fran Roden. " Remember that your grand- 
 mother was very old, and it was quite natural 
 that she should at last close her eyes in death." 
 
 She said no more, for she must have felt that 
 her words contained no comfort for me. 
 
 " It is too much for me to bear," I burst forth, 
 " too much ; and all at once. What will become 
 of Lott^ ? O Lotta ! " 
 
 " God will not desert either of you, Helena." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; if God would only give me that 
 assurance himself, loud and clear." But no 
 answer came from the upper world in response 
 to my despairing cry, " What now ? " 
 
 We sat together a long time, and then my 
 visitor arose. 
 
 " I will go now, Helena," she whispered, " and 
 take charge of everything ; the last rites for the 
 dead, and food for the living." 
 
 She broke off suddenly as Lotta opened the 
 door and put her head into the room. 
 
 " Helena, what do you think ; shall we fix the 
 burial for the ipth of July ? " she asked. 
 
 .1 raised my head and thought a moment ; it 
 was then the lyth. 
 
 "So soon ? " said I. 
 
 " There's no reason for delay, Helena. Set a 
 day yourself if you're not suited ; the undertaker 
 must know,"
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 161 
 
 As she spoke I became aware of the presence 
 of that functionary behind her. 
 
 Fran Roden's countenance wore an expression 
 of infinite astonishment. I gave a silent nod of 
 absent, and Lotta disappeared. 
 
 " I see I am not needed here, Helena." The 
 old lady's voice trembled as she spoke ; "Anita is 
 managing everything ; but, Helena, if you want a 
 word of good cheer at any time come over to us." 
 She stroked my cheek with her hand once or 
 twice, and went away. 
 
 Lotta acted for me in everything. That even- 
 ing we were sitting in the living-room ; the can- 
 dles had not been lighted, and neither of us spoke 
 a word. After a while Lotta began to wander 
 restlessly about the room ; her dark form glided 
 noiselessly across the floor from side to side like 
 the spirit of the night. 
 
 " I wish ypu'd say something," she broke out 
 at length. 
 
 " I am very sad and fearful," I said. 
 
 " Oh, matters will brighten for us soon." 
 
 " Where do you get this courage, Lotta ? " 
 said I ; " we are worse off than the beggars in 
 the street." 
 
 "Nous verrons ! " she replied ; " I do not de- 
 spair so easily." 
 
 " You have trifled away our only refuge."
 
 162 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Oh, there's more than one refuge for us ; I am 
 not afraid." Her voice rang out so clear and 
 confident. Involuntarily I asked again : " What's 
 the secret of your courage ? " 
 
 But as she made no reply, I continued : " I 
 have no fear on my own account ; when I am 
 forty years of age, you know, I will get my pen- 
 sion, and until then I can support myself by my 
 own labor. But you, Lotta ! How can you go 
 among strangers ? Service is so hard ! " 
 
 *' I ? " Her voice sounded as if she were 
 amused, but she said no more, and recommenced 
 her walk. From time to time she arrested her 
 steps at the open window as if listening for some- 
 thing. The hours crept slowly by, and the clock 
 in the castle tower struck eleven. 
 
 " Come," I said, " let's go to bed ; perhaps we 
 shall find relief in sleep." 
 
 " No, I cannot sleep for a long time yet," she 
 replied hastily ; " remain up with me, Helena, I 
 beg you, please do." 
 
 I leaned my head back and fixed my eyes again 
 on the thin ray of light which came in through 
 the door of the room where grandmother lay. 
 
 " A corpse is so terribly uncanny in the house ; 
 one seems always to hear a breathing or a groan- 
 ing or a rustling. Do you hear nothing? " whis- 
 pered Lotta.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 163 
 
 " Yes," I said, " but it is imagination." 
 
 *' Oh, no, no, there's a wagon coming ! Listen ! 
 I kne\v I could not be mistaken." She has- 
 tened to the window and leaned far out on the 
 sill. 
 
 I heard a wagon drive past at a rapid pace, 
 and in a few seconds the noise died out ; the 
 vehicle h:id probably reached its destination. 
 
 " What is the matter with you, Lotta ? " I asked, 
 seeing that she continued to peer out into the 
 darkness. I went over and sat down beside her 
 and took hold of her hand. She made no answer, 
 but I felt that she was trembling, and that her 
 breathing was heavy. She seemed to be look- 
 ing intently at the castle. Presently a low light 
 gleamed through the curtains of the prince's 
 apartments, then the curtains were thrown back 
 and a man's form appeared before the open win- 
 dow. Lotta was motionless as a statue. Then 
 there was a sound like the clapping of hands, the 
 curtains fell together and the form disappeared. 
 
 " Helena ! Helena ! " whispered Lotta, as she 
 flung her arm about my neck. "O Helena!" 
 Then she drew me into the room, forced me down 
 upon the sofa, fell upon her knees before me, 
 and buried her hot face in my lap. 
 
 " Do not grieve, dear, do not be anxious ; all 
 will be well ' "
 
 164 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 In a moment I remembered the words of Frau 
 Roden : " How glad his highness will be to learn 
 of Lotta's freedom." Could it be possible that 
 she was right ? 
 
 " For God's sake, Lotta, what do you mean ? 
 Lotta, that would be horrible ! " 
 
 " I do not know what you are thinking of," she 
 replied excitedly ; " do not ask me any questions, 
 and do not be cast down. I am not an object of 
 pity, be sure of that ! " 
 
 " Lotta," I said, taking her hand, " I can work, 
 and I will care for you if you'll promise me 
 
 " I will promise nothing ! " she said proudly. 
 " I say to you again I will be no burden to you. 
 I would rather go to America to Hans ; but say 
 no more, I am not in the least desperate." 
 
 She lit a candle and went into our sleeping- 
 room, and began to prepare for bed. 
 
 I remained alone in the dark chamber. My 
 thoughts busied themselves ceaselessly with our 
 future. What should we do ? Should we go 
 back to Berlin ? Where else could we go ? 
 Lotta would find a home in the house of her 
 guardian, and I well, I was not anxious for 
 myself. At last, overcome by fatigue, I gave up 
 the attempt to solve the problem. I arose, felt 
 my way through the dark rooms, and threw 
 myself on the bed without undressing.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 I WOKE on the following morning with a 
 heavy heart and an aching head ; a terrible bur- 
 den had fallen upon me. 
 
 I raised myself in bed, and saw a ray of sun- 
 light coming in through the curtains. Lotta had 
 made her bed and left me alone, and in the ad- 
 joining room I heard a low voice which I recog- 
 nized as Anita's. I thought there was a certain 
 humility in its tones, which I had never recog- 
 nized before. After a time I went in to join 
 them. Lotta was standing already dressed be- 
 fore her writing-table, her head was resting upon 
 it ; she was evidently thinking deeply ; she spoke 
 no word, however, but only nodded her head to 
 me as I came in. 
 
 Anita had disappeared. 
 
 Oh, the oppressive stillness, the suffocating 
 feeling of the room, in spite of the cool morning 
 air ! Near Lotta's teacup lay a bouquet of orange 
 blossoms, and its heavy, rich perfume made my 
 head ache worse. 
 
 The morning was passed by us in absolute
 
 1 66 Tu'o Daughters of One Race. 
 
 silence ; I had not a particle of energy, and lay 
 passively on the sofa. Lotta wrote ; I thought 
 of nothing, I only wanted quiet. Once I heard 
 heavy steps in the next room, and whispers the 
 coffin had been brought. I had not the heart to 
 look again at the still, placid face. 
 
 Meanwhile, on this self-same morning, the 
 storm that fearful and destructive storm which 
 was to command the interest and attention of 
 the entire world, was gathering. 
 
 Men deserted their various callings, and stood 
 on the street corners discussing the " declara- 
 tion of war " which might come at any mo- 
 ment. 
 
 From house to house and from heart to heart 
 flew the one thought : 
 
 " The old enemy. To defeat him, we will lay 
 once more our all upon our country's altar ; not 
 our worldly possessions alone, but our very heart's 
 blood." 
 
 None thought of individual griefs ; had they 
 not all one common trouble ? Would they not 
 all unite to protect the Fatherland from the blow 
 which had been struck at her honor ? Ah, had 
 one been able to wander unseen through the 
 towns and villages of Germany during this dread- 
 ful summer, and have entered the houses or huts, 
 how much noble self-sacrifice, how much enthu-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 167 
 
 siasm, what great magnanimity he would have 
 witnessed ! And yet I sat there in a stupor, and 
 could hardly understand it at all. 
 
 War : really war. What did it mean ? Tears 
 and suffering, suffering and tears ! Was there 
 not enough sorrow already ? That was all it was 
 possible for me to comprehend then. 
 
 The day went by as all days, no matter how 
 weary, do, and on the next was the funeral. 
 
 At eleven o'clock I heard them carrying the cof- 
 fin down the stairs, and knew it would be borne 
 through the garden to meet the hearse at the car- 
 riage road. I had shut myself up in the only 
 place where I could be unmolested and hear little, 
 the kitchen ; the only sound that came to my 
 ear was the church bell, which Frau Roden had 
 ordered to be tolled. And mixed with this peace- 
 ful and solemn sound the cry was echoing : " To 
 arms ! War is declared ! " I knew nothing of 
 it until Lotta rushed into my room. The pastor 
 coming from the burial had brought the news. 
 She was very pale, and trembling in every limb, 
 and was wringing her hands while she told me. 
 Her very glance seemed to rouse me from my 
 lethargy. 
 
 " Helena, it is fearful ! " she gasped. 
 
 1 followed her into the living-room, where the 
 clergyman was still standing. From the street?
 
 1 68 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 I could hear the sharp cries arousing every one 
 to action. 
 
 " You will think less of your sorrow, with this 
 universal calamity upon us all," said the old 
 man ; " you must do your part ; a common cause 
 brings with it much trust, much friendliness." 
 
 After he had gone I went up to Lotta and 
 put my arms around her ; she was greatly agitated, 
 and I could feel how her heart beat as she again 
 whispered : 
 
 " It is fearful ! I had believed up to this day 
 that the storms would pass over." 
 
 " Donotbe so alarmed, Lotta," I said ; " we are 
 together, we have each other ! " She trembled 
 so violently that her fear brought my old courage 
 back to me. " We are the daughters of a soldier," 
 I said, freeing my arms from hers and standing 
 in front of her, " and we have both known much 
 sorrow and have none to lose. If our father 
 was alive, or Hans was here 
 
 She hardly heeded a word I said, but leaned 
 against the door as if for support, with her hands 
 pressed to her heart ; after a time she turned 
 back to the window again. Plainly she was under 
 the influence of some deep emotion of which I 
 knew nothing. 
 
 Then we heard steps on the stairs outside and 
 a knock at the door ; it was Anita, all breathless.
 
 Daughters of One Race. 169 
 
 Her glance sought Lotta's, but Lotta gave no 
 answering sign : apparently they would have had 
 much to say to one another if my presence had 
 not checked them. 
 
 " You know it already," she began at last, in 
 an embarrassed manner. " The war also that 
 his highness will start immediately." I did not 
 see Lotta's countenance, for she had turned away ; 
 but my heart seemed lighter after I heard it, and 
 I rose softly and left the room. No matter what 
 terror the news of war had brought, it was a bless- 
 ing to hear it had hastened the prince's depart- 
 ure, especially if he had had any tender feeling 
 for Lotta. I was surprised when Anita ran rap- 
 idly across the garden to the castle a moment 
 later. I went back to Lotta at once, and found 
 her standing in the middle of the room with her 
 hands over her face. 
 
 " What is the matter with you, Lotta ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 As I spoke she dropped her arms, and I saw 
 traces of tears in her eyes ; her mouth seemed 
 drawn, and although a half smile played around 
 it, there was a set, pained expression also. 
 
 But Lotta answered nothing, and I had no 
 thought of the events that were so soon to crowd 
 upon me. I gave no further thought to our 
 future during that hour ; what mattered our
 
 170 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 isolated grief at such a time. The old woman 
 that came in to prepare our simple dinner never 
 murmured, although she had three sons, who 
 must all go, and the eldest had a wife and chil- 
 dren, and a little business of his own. 
 
 As she put the dishes on the table she said : 
 
 " Herr Roden has just called the people to- 
 gether in the court-yard, and made a speech to 
 them. He is going, too," she added, turning to 
 look at Lotta with a not altogether friendly glance. 
 " And no one can tell who will come back." 
 
 Ah, he ! I had not thought of him to-day, but 
 I looked at Lotta as the old servant ceased 
 speaking. Would not her heart throb with re- 
 morse ? Would she let him go without one 
 word, without a prayer for his forgiveness ? 
 But Lotta said not a word. She sat at the table 
 supporting her head with her hand and eating 
 nothing. 
 
 From the streets we heard shouts of " Down 
 with the French ! " and war-cries echoing on all 
 sides, but no word was spoken in our silent 
 room. I sat at the window, and Lotta at her 
 escritoire. 
 
 She looked hastily through all the drawers, tore 
 up some letters and tied others together, but I 
 could not understand why. I attempted once 
 or twice to speak of Fritz Roden, but gave it up,
 
 Two Dattghters of One Race. 
 
 finally, for I did not know how to begin. Once 
 or twice she turned around as if she had some- 
 thing to say to me, and once she rose and came 
 to the window beside me, but she did not speak ; 
 I could tell that something was agitating her, for 
 the color came and went in her cheeks. She 
 did not look once toward the castle windows, 
 although the prince appeared at them several 
 times. 
 
 " I am almost choking," she said at last ; " I 
 wish it were evening." 
 
 Toward dusk I rose and asked her if she 
 would not accompany me to the church-yard ? 
 
 " To-morrow ! to-morrow ! " she repeated. 
 " Leave me alone to-day ; I will go in the garden 
 for a little fresh air." And as I stepped out of 
 the door she came hastily after me. 
 
 " Helena ! " 
 
 I thought she had something important to 
 tell me from her excited manner, but she only 
 said : 
 
 " When you are praying at the grave do not 
 forget me ! When will you be back ? " 
 
 " I hardly know, Lotta soon." 
 
 And so we parted. Lotta had never made a 
 confidante of me. She only trusted her own 
 will. 
 
 The noise and bustle without was in great con-
 
 i 7 2 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 trast to our quiet house of mourning. Many 
 horses were standing in the court-yard, and I 
 could hear Fritz Roden's voice giving orders to 
 the stable boys, who ran hither and thither ; and 
 the old shepherd, who remembered the war of 
 1813, was holding forth to a small audience in 
 front of the kitchen windows. I hurried across 
 the court as rapidly as possible. 
 
 In the streets all was noise and confusion : 
 wives lamenting anxiously and sorrowfully, hus- 
 bands preparing actively for they hardly knew 
 what, and children singing stirring songs of the 
 Fatherland. 
 
 But all was quiet in the little church-yard. I 
 remained for a long time by the newly-made 
 grave, and when I turned my face toward home 
 it had grown quite dark. 
 
 The town was still excited, tumultuous bands 
 were playing, and loud " Hurrahs ! " were shouted 
 on every corner ; but by this time all had grown 
 quiet in our little street. I threw a glance at the 
 castle windows where lights glimmered behind 
 the drawn curtains ; but opposite, in our rooms, 
 all was dark. Lotta, I fancied, was sitting yet at 
 the window waiting for me. 
 
 Then the thought came to me suddenly, what 
 was it Anita had wanted to-day at dinner time ? 
 Whether the prince had desired to come over to
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 173 
 
 sec her again ! It would have been painful if he 
 had come and found her alone ; but that was 
 hardly possible. He was a gentleman and would 
 not intrude upon our grief the very day of the 
 burial. He had evidently sent a formal message 
 of sympathy when he sent the magnificent bou- 
 quet, that was all. 
 
 Poor Lotta, waiting for me, and so lonely ! 
 
 I hastened my steps and opened the door, 
 breathless. 
 
 " Pardon me, Lotta ! " I said, as I entered the 
 dark room ; " I have been out too long." 
 
 No answer. 
 
 I opened our bedroom door. 
 
 " Lotta ! " I cried. No sound. 
 
 " Lotta ! " and I called out into the garden 
 in vain. A fearful anxiety came over me. I 
 stepped back into the living-room, and with 
 trembling fingers struck a light. 
 
 In the centre of the table lay a letter ad- 
 dressed : 
 
 " To my sister." 
 
 And a moment later my startled eyes read 
 these few words : 
 
 " I am to become Prince Otto's wife this evening, as he 
 leaves for the capital in the morning. The marriage will 
 take place at eight o'clock, in his own apartments. I had 
 not the courage to tell you to-day at noon, for I could not
 
 174 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 have conversed quietly about the matter, and the hours of 
 happiness for us two alone were drawing rapidly to a 
 close. 
 
 " Forgive your 
 
 " LOTTA." 
 
 That was the note. How blind how stupidly 
 blind I had been until now ! Lotta seemed to 
 be standing before me again, and in a clearer 
 light than ever before ; her thoughtlessness, her 
 frivolity, her selfishness, seemed to me extreme 
 at this moment. Prince Otto, then, was the man 
 who had supplanted her old betrothed in her 
 heart, while she yet carried Fritz Roden's ring 
 upon her finger ; and she had veered like a 
 weathercock, and gone over to the prince and 
 his palace across the way. And to-day of all 
 days to-day ! 
 
 I was still standing with the letter in mr 
 trembling hand, when the door opened slowly 
 and Fritz Roden entered. He came directly to 
 me, and gave me his hand. The flickering candle 
 threw a faint ray across his face, and it seemed 
 to me to be so changed in expression that I 
 could hardly believe it was he ; or was it the 
 uniform which he wore which effected so great 
 an alteration ? 
 
 "I have come to say farewell, Fraulein He- 
 lena," he said, " to you and Charlotte. It is
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 175 
 
 better to part in peace, when one goes the way 
 which I shall tread. I start to-night in order to 
 catch the express at T. To-morrow at ten I 
 shall be witTi my regiment." 
 
 He had been looking quietly around the room 
 as he spoke, and now gave me a questioning 
 glance. But as I remained dumb and held on to 
 the back of the nearest chair for support, he said : 
 
 '' I thank you, Fraulein von Werthern. I have 
 not much time now to talk, and I had much to 
 say to you much to thank you for." 
 
 He hesitated. " Your sister and yourself stand 
 so entirely alone," he began, after a time. 
 
 I could control myself no longer, and the bit- 
 terness of my heart was told in the cry : 
 
 " Alone ? " 
 
 "Yes, quite alone." And then the tears came 
 thick and fast, the first I had shed since my 
 grandmother's death. In a few minutes he knew 
 it all the whole story. And then there was a 
 moment of terrible silence, broken only by his 
 hard breathing. 
 
 " You cannot remain here," he said at last, 
 quite angrily; " I shall take you to my mother." 
 
 I shook my head, but he repeated " You must 
 come," so decidedly and quietly now, that I fol- 
 lowed him as if I possessed no will of my own. 
 So we went across the garden together in the
 
 176 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 still, summer night ; the air was heavy with per- 
 fume ; in the distance we heard the maids and 
 men singing softly, and overhead the stars seemed 
 to keep a peaceful and holy watch ; only in the 
 heart of man were strife and distress. One 
 moment he remained standing listening to the 
 significant words of the soldier-song borne to us 
 on the breeze. 
 
 Was he thinking of that evening when he had 
 come to meet Lotta, and they had stood side by 
 side and listened to the nightingale's songs ? I 
 could not tell. He passed his hands over his 
 eyes, and then went on as before, and when we 
 arrived at the door of the great living-room, 
 opened it for me as quietly and as courteously 
 as ever, and bade me enter. His mother looked 
 up surprised from the small trunk which she was 
 packing. 
 
 " Mother, I have brought you Helena," he 
 said, and left us alone. 
 
 I went to her and flung my arms around her 
 neck, and cried as though my heart would break. 
 And when I was able to tell her all, she held me 
 from her at arm's length, as if she feared I had 
 lost my senses. 
 
 " Lotta married ! " She faltered. " Does he 
 know all ? Poor boy ! This to bear also ! "
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 177 
 
 Then she shook her head and began question- 
 ingly : 
 
 " So sudden ? Married, you say ? To-day ? 
 Anita was the go-between, of course ! Did he 
 get the duchess's consent to-day? Certainly he 
 is the idol of his mother, and possibly she may 
 be rejoiced to know he is under some restraint. 
 And the haste ! And I hear five couples have 
 been married since the news of war came. Ah, 
 Helena, I cannot comprehend it ! But I must 
 go to my Fritz." 
 
 Before she had reached the door he entered the 
 room. We both looked anxiously at him, but he 
 sat down at the table very quietly and calmly. 
 
 " Send the trunk away," he begged his mother, 
 "and let us be comfortable for our last few hours 
 together. Fraiilein Helena, you will remain 
 with my mother, if it is not too great a sacrifice ; 
 the old lady is quite alone." 
 
 I reached out my hand to him in assent, for 
 I could not speak ; surely no lonely, forsaken 
 woman could have had a better place of refuge. 
 
 " I thank you," he said ; " I can go now with 
 a quiet heart." 
 
 So we sat in the comfortable sitting-room ; 
 the Rhine wine sparkled in the old Venetian 
 decanter upon the table, and everything was as 
 homelike and hospitable looking as ever.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " It may be that we shall be as happy as ever, 
 when we meet again," he said, as he turned to 
 his mother. And then he talked to her of this 
 and that matter concerning the estate, and left 
 directions that we knew were only given when 
 the thought forced itself upon him that he might 
 never return to carry them out himself. All at 
 once we heard the sound of music, and the flash 
 of torches gleamed in through the windows as 
 the Reserves of the little town went to serenade 
 Prince Otto. 
 
 How clearly it sounded to us : "A mighty 
 fortress is our God ! " Then there were loud 
 cries for the prince and shouts for the ducal fam- 
 ily, and lastly a song that was echoing that night 
 in a million German hearts. It was the " Watch 
 on the Rhine." 
 
 " Dear Fatherland, may peace be thine ! " 
 
 Frau Roden's heavy eyes lighted up. 
 
 " Let us not think of our private woes," she 
 said to me. " Cease your weeping, Helena ! 
 there is something sublime about a whole nation 
 in arms ! " And she looked up proudly at her 
 " boy," although her old heart was almost break- 
 ing. He was the last ! 
 
 I did not want to disturb the mother and son 
 hi their last few moments together, so I went 
 back to our old rooms to fasten the windows and
 
 Two Daughters of One Rtv:t 179 
 
 draw the curtains. I crept through the dark- 
 ness to the window and buried my face in my 
 handkerchief. " Lotta, ah, Lotta ! " 
 
 Everything was silent now, and the castle op- 
 posite was apparently without light or life. Soon 
 I heard a wagon coining quickly ; it stopped for 
 a moment near my window, and a voice called : 
 
 " Farewell, Helena ! " 
 
 But I could not answer ; I sank on my knees 
 and laid my aching brow on the marble window- 
 seat ; at last my grief overpowered me. Wild 
 and violent were my sobs as I thought of his 
 misery and of my own, and how hopeless and 
 aimless my life would be for the future.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 " MY lady, the countess, begs the gracious 
 Fraulein to come over to her, this evening at 
 dusk," was the message Anita brought to me a 
 day later, as I sat sorting out my grandmother's 
 papers and getting them in order. My head was 
 heavy and my heart still heavier. 
 
 To-day, at Frau Roden's suggestion, I was 
 striving to get everything settled preparatory to 
 going over to the great house ; but there was 
 much about which I could not decide until I 
 had consulted with Lotta. " The countess ?" I 
 asked, puzzled. 
 
 " Countess Charlotte Kaltensee, the wife of 
 his Highness the Prince," explained Anita, in a 
 monotone. 
 
 " Ah my sister ! Say to her that I will be 
 with her. Has his highness gone ? " 
 
 " An hour ago," she answered ; " the countess 
 is heart-broken." And Anita departed. 
 
 I went on with what I was doing ; I could 
 not bring myself to cast one glance toward the 
 windows of Lotta's new home. When it was
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 181 
 
 dark I went across to her, but I must admit 
 without any friendly feeling in my heart. 
 
 Anita opened the door for me, and led me 
 through the dimly-lighted hall and along the 
 corridor to the same room in which I had been 
 before, and where I had first seen Prince Otto. 
 We went through into one of the smaller rooms. 
 " Please turn to the left and go into the yellow 
 salon," whispered Anita, and disappeared. 
 
 My heart beat violently as I stood before the 
 portieres, and for a moment I felt faint and 
 dizzy ; perhaps 'twas the heavy perfume of 
 roses and orange blossoms that pervaded the 
 princely apartments. With trembling hand I 
 drew aside the heavy silk curtains and stepped 
 into the room. 
 
 It was a large salon, with many lamps shed- 
 ding their rays over rich furniture, and giving 
 through their reflection in the mirrors a golden 
 sheen to everything. 
 
 Fine paintings richly framed adorned the walls, 
 and a soft velvet carpet in subdued colors cov- 
 ered the floor. And yonder, on a couch under a 
 great picture, lay Lotta, her face buried in a pil- 
 low and a rich scarf thrown over her. 
 
 She had not heard me enter. 
 
 Her long black hair hung in disorder over her 
 white lace negligee ; she had worn the same gown
 
 1 82 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 one night in private theatricals, when she had en- 
 acted the part of a young wife of rank ; it had 
 a hateful significance which made me feel more 
 bitter than ever. It seemed to me to be all 
 comedy. 
 
 " Lotta ! " I called. 
 
 Then she sat up, and I gazed into her lovely, 
 tear-stained face. 
 
 " Helena," she said like a child, " do remain 
 with me ! " 
 
 She came over to me and threw her arms 
 around my neck and laid her burning cheek 
 upon my shoulder. 
 
 " I am so happy, so happy, Helena ! " she 
 whispered ; " forgive me, and tell me that God 
 will not be so cruel as not to let him return to 
 me ! You speak no word, Helena ! Have you 
 no word of kindness, no wish for my happi- 
 ness to give me ? " she asked, looking at me. 
 " If you knew how I love him, you would not 
 stand with so unforgiving a look, Helena. Are 
 you angry with me ? " she continued, and took 
 her hands from my shoulder, " because I did not 
 confide in you ? But it was all so sudden you 
 know. On the day that I broke my engagement 
 he had news that the war was inevitable, and 
 then with the storm about to burst I gave him 
 my ' yes.' Then he went to get his mother's con-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 183 
 
 sent. The unseemly haste which made me seem 
 to you so unsympathetic was forced upon me by 
 the war ; I was opposed to it, but what could I 
 do ? When one loves as I do, and knows not 
 when the loved one will return again, if ever, all 
 lesser obstacles disappear. To be sure," she 
 continued impatiently after a pause, " every one 
 would not have acted so, but only because they 
 knew nothing of that great passion love ! " 
 
 "Ah," I said, and I spoke with difficulty, "but 
 there is something more to be thought of, when 
 a woman gives her heart to one man with the 
 betrothal ring of another on her finger." 
 
 " Ah, Helena," she answered compassionately, 
 " what do you know about it ? Any way we won't 
 discuss it any farther. You can, perhaps, see 
 that I never loved Fritz, and that I love," she 
 added tenderly, " my husband unspeakably." 
 
 " Then how did you dare accept Fritz Roden's 
 proposal ? " 
 
 " But," she cried sharply, " I did not know 
 Otto then. I gave Herr Roden my promise in 
 order to save us both from starvation." 
 
 " Oh, this is frightful, Lotta ! " 
 
 " My God ! it is what we learn from contact 
 with the world, Helena. I might have become 
 contented in time, and have submitted tamely to 
 the solid burger, about as I did to the eternal
 
 1 84 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 potato salad which you insisted upon giving us a 
 couple of times a week. But then I saw him, and 
 I loved him from the first day, yes, from the 
 first hour. You remember that morning ? And 
 there " 
 
 " You should have gone to Fritz Roden imme- 
 diately and told him all." 
 
 " Yes, but I did not know then whether the 
 prince " 
 
 " Oh, I understand," I interrupted bitterly ; 
 " so you decided to wait. But when this change- 
 able, gay butterfly was caught, you trampled the 
 honest burger's trustful heart under foot, you 
 had done with him ! " 
 
 " I beg you, Helena, to be sensible and listen 
 to me," she cried impatiently. "We are entirely 
 alone in the world, without means, and it was my 
 duty to grasp the helping hand that was extended 
 to us." And as I remained silent she continued : 
 "And that is what I wished to speak with you 
 about to-night ; Otto wishes you to remain with 
 me. I shall occupy these apartments until he 
 takes me away ; Castle Kaltensee is not yet in 
 readiness for my reception ; it is in Bavaria, where 
 the duke has great possessions. It is to be my 
 future residence ; and, as you know, I take that 
 name. It has all been so sudden. I feel as if I 
 were in a dream. I have a most liberal allowance
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 185 
 
 of pin-money, which is for us both ; what a piece 
 of good luck, Helena ! " 
 
 She had thrown herself, while speaking, in a 
 low arm-chair opposite me. 
 
 " Ah, Helena, this terrible war ! " she sighed. 
 " And only to think I had no bridal dress, and 
 had to be married in that old white cashmere, 
 and the pastor made the service as short as 
 possible, and did not seem to take any interest 
 whatever in it ; all the fault of this horrible war. 
 There were only two witnesses present : a young 
 nobleman from C., and one of the gentlemen-in- 
 waiting to the duchess. Anita wove me a wreath 
 of myrtle blossoms, but if it had not been for 
 the diamonds which he gave me no one would 
 have imagined I was a prince's bride. But why 
 don't you speak, Helena ? Take a glass of wine 
 and some fruit. The table is still laid in the 
 dining-room for our only and last dinner, and the 
 viands have hardly been touched. Ah, Helena, I 
 could neither eat nor drink ! If I was only sit- 
 ting opposite him now, watching him peel an 
 apricot ! " 
 
 And she sprang up and put her hands before 
 her eyes as she hastily paced the room, half 
 laughing, half crying. 
 
 " At best, I cannot go to him until after the 
 war," she sighed. "Good heavens! to think
 
 1 86 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 that I shall have to sit here in fear and long- 
 ing !" 
 
 She was very charming in her young love 
 dream and her anxiety for her husband. 
 
 But she exercised no witchery over me. I 
 thought of Fritz Roden's pale face, of his anxious 
 eyes, and of his life, blighted by my sister, who 
 had so cruelly deceived him. 
 
 " You will remain here with me ? " she ques- 
 tioned. " And I wish you, as a favor to me, to 
 write to our guardian in my name ; you must ex- 
 plain why there was so much haste. Especially 
 on account of grandmother. The good man 
 will be filled with consternation. Ah, Helena, 
 our grandmother ! Believe me, I grieve deeply 
 about her." 
 
 I must have made an impatient movement 
 with my hand, for she stopped abruptly. 
 
 " I will write your letter for you willingly, 
 Lotta," I said, " but I cannot remain here. I 
 have given Fritz Roden a promise to remain with 
 his mother while he is away." 
 
 Lotta was speechless at first, but after a mo- 
 ment answered impatiently : 
 
 " Oh, that does not matter ! " 
 
 " Oh, yes, it does, Charlotte ! " 
 
 '* But I cannot remain here alone ; Otto would 
 not hear of it."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 187 
 
 . \ . 
 
 " Your husband will have to look out for a 
 suitable companion for you, and until you get 
 one there is Anita," I answered. 
 
 " Oh, I cannot endure her," she continued, 
 " she is so insolent and familiar. What do the 
 Rodens say ?" 
 
 u Nothing at all. But my sense of justice 
 compels me to try and make up to them in some 
 way for the sorrow that has come upon them 
 through you. Besides that I love the old lady 
 as " 
 
 " As a mother," interrupted Lotta ironically. 
 
 " Yes ! " I answered with a full heart. 
 
 " Otto will not think it kind of you," she 
 began after a pause. " He said last evening : ' I 
 shall, of course, set aside a yearly income for 
 your sister, as 
 
 I interrupted : " He is very good, I am sure, 
 but I must decline." 
 
 " What have you against him ? " she said 
 sulkily. 
 
 " That he was a coward, and acted in a heart- 
 less and dishonorable manner when he strove to 
 win secretly the beloved bride of an honest man, 
 that's what I have against him," I would have 
 cried out sharply. But I was silent. What was 
 the use of repeating what she must know her- 
 self ? and she certainly had been easily won.
 
 1 88 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 A long pause ensued. Anita came in noise- 
 lessly and placed fruit, wine, and cake upon the 
 table, and a silver dish filled with cracked ice, 
 and then turned to my sister and asked if the 
 countess had any further orders. Lotta shook 
 her head impatiently, and Anita departed as 
 quietly as she had entered. 
 
 They had both accepted their altered positions 
 very quickly. Lotta had evidently entirely for- 
 gotten their morning chats ; she was the mistress 
 Anita the maid. 
 
 I sat perfectly silent, and Lotta turned her 
 back partially to me, so that I only saw her pro- 
 file. I had a sudden feeling of sorrow as I 
 looked at the beautiful creature. God alone 
 knew what was in store for her, what her life 
 would be by the side of a man who had married 
 her so rashly. Should I darken any happy hour 
 she might have with dismal prophecies ? I rose 
 hastily. 
 
 " Pray to God, Charlotte, and forgive me for 
 being so gloomy ; to-morrow or the day after, 
 when I have become calmer, we will have a long 
 talk. To-day is too soon to talk of plans, and 
 may you be very happy in your new joy." 
 
 She turned toward me with glowing eyes, and 
 a bright flush spread over her whole face. 
 
 " I am that already, Helena, and will remain
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 189 
 
 so, if God in his goodness will only send Otto 
 home to me well and strong." 
 
 She took my arm and walked with me to the 
 door. 
 
 " Come to-morrow again," she begged; " I must 
 show you the bridal gifts Otto gave me, and the 
 diadem the duchess sent through her gentleman- 
 in-waiting. Yes, and then we will talk of our 
 residence together here." 
 
 " No, Lotta, that can never be ; we need not 
 speak of it again." 
 
 And without waiting for an answer I pressed 
 her hand, and went as I had come, with a heavy 
 heart. And she remained alone in her golden 
 cage with her sweet memories and her great good 
 fortune, and no one whispered in her ear : " You 
 have made a man, a true, good man, miserable 
 for life."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " WE will workj Helena ; that is the only anti- 
 dote for sorrow," said Frau Roden, a day or two 
 later. And we did work. We did many things 
 that were not necessary, but we did not allow our- 
 selves many idle moments. The old lady had 
 always some fresh employment on hand ; and she 
 was in the right ; work was our greatest comfort. 
 
 It was quiet, very quiet now, in the little se- 
 questered town, and in the great house, too ; then 
 after a time came the first news of victory flying 
 over the German land. From tower to tower 
 sounded the joy bells. Victory ! Victory ! A 
 word that intoxicates like wine. Even in our 
 loneliness it brought new life ; the people gath- 
 ered ih the streets to hear the despatches read, 
 and the children played truant from school in 
 order to learn the latest news ; old enemies shook 
 one another by the hand ; people who had never 
 spoken to each other stopped and chatted in 
 friendly fashion, and from the town hall came the 
 sounds of music and laughter.
 
 Two Daughters of One Ract, 191 
 
 " Praise be to God ! " And in the church the 
 organ peal sounded forth and lusty voices chanted 
 the song of jubilee. After that came the papers 
 with full particulars and a heart-sickening list of 
 the dead and wounded. What a world of sorrow 
 and woe lay behind this first victory ! And as 
 one took up the paper, one shuddered at the 
 thought that a dear name might stand forth 
 which would bring to the heart despair and life- 
 long anguish. 
 
 But almost in the same breath with the news of 
 victory came the astounding intelligence to the 
 villagers that Prince Otto had married the beau- 
 tiful Charlotte von Werthern, and that created 
 no small sensation. The good people still looked 
 upon Lotta as the fiancee of Fritz Roden, for no 
 whisper of the broken engagement had crossed 
 the threshold of our homes. And now to hear 
 of this sudden and romantic marriage was indeed 
 a nine days' wonder. Like the circles that widen 
 round a stone just thrown in the water, so went 
 the news from lip to lip, from ear to ear, in 
 whispers lo-v and doubtful for, who knows, per- 
 haps it was not true. But when one day the 
 princely landau rolled through the streets, and 
 the beautiful young wife, in her elegant attire 
 and with the same proud, cold face, was seen 
 leaning back in it, the people threw open their
 
 192 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 windows to catch a glimpse of her, and finally 
 went back to their duties convinced that it was 
 all over with Fritz Roden, and that the gay young 
 prince had indeed taken a wife home to the 
 castle. 
 
 Frau Roden 's sitting-room was by no means 
 empty at this time ; but all curious questions re- 
 mained behind the astonished lips, when they 
 perceived that the old lady's relations with me 
 were of such a friendly nature, and that 1 was 
 established as an inmate of the house. 
 
 They went away wiser than they came, how- 
 ever, for she told them all about Fritz ; that he 
 was marching toward France in the best of 
 spirits and wrote her daily. 
 
 Our rooms were locked and the furniture had 
 not been touched ; I only brought a few things 
 to the room Frau Roden had given me the very 
 one which Lotta and I had occupied on our first 
 night. I brought my piano to it and my sewing- 
 table, and the little basket for Schnips stood by 
 the stove. 
 
 Our small, four-footed friend had much finer 
 quarters over with Lotta, but sometimes he came 
 in to see me, as much as to say he could not 
 quite neglect his old nurse ; and then I petted 
 him and set a pan of milk before him, of which 
 he never refused to partake,
 
 193 
 
 Lotta lived alone at the castle, and answered 
 the letters and despatches that came to her daily 
 from her husband. 
 
 He was with the second Bavarian corps ; his 
 brother, the heir presumptive, was with the Sax- 
 ons, and Fritz Roden marched with his old regi- 
 ment, the Prussian Fusilier Guards. 
 
 Slowly, slowly passed the time ; so fearful, so 
 hard for us who remained at home. We did all 
 our hands could find to do, in order to alleviate 
 the suffering on the battle-field but how little 
 that was after all. We could only .wait with 
 anxious hearts and bated breath through weary 
 summer days. A hundred times the old lady 
 would say : 
 
 " God guard my son to-day ! " 
 
 How quickly she would hasten across the room 
 and out to the vestibule to meet the old postman, 
 when she caught a glimpse of him coming across 
 the court. 
 
 " Wait, wait I " she would cry to the old man, 
 as she hastily tore open the letter, and read what 
 the mother's eye was longing to sec that her 
 son was strong and well ; then she never failed 
 to reach for her leather pocket and hand the 
 smiling man a hard thaler. And as he departed 
 she .would call all the household, great and small, 
 together, and read to them what their master 
 13
 
 194 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 had written. In no letter did he forget to send 
 greeting to Fraulein von Werthern. 
 
 One sultry August evening, I think it was the 
 1 8th, we sat listlessly together on a seat under 
 the leafy chestnuts in the court. Frau Roden 
 had been reading, but now was watching the 
 children of one of the servants, who were playing 
 near. Poor Johann, their father, was lame, and, 
 greatly to his sorrow, had to stay at home. The 
 housekeeper and some of the maids were seated 
 not far distant, also watching the children. 
 
 They played at war, of course, and we were 
 amused, especially Frau Roden, at the martial 
 air they assumed as they chanted : 
 
 " One, two, three, 
 The French must go ! 
 They will advance, 
 They must retreat. 
 One, two, three, , 
 
 The French must go ! " 
 
 " That's an old song," she said ; " I used to 
 near my mother hum it." 
 
 Just then a lackey came in through the open 
 gateway, and told me that the countess wished to 
 see me at once. 
 
 I took off my little apron and followed him. 
 
 "You must help me," said Lotta, as she met 
 me, evidently much pleased over something.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 19$ 
 
 " Only think, the duchess has decided to see me 
 at last. Ah, Helena, it has been a great hu- 
 miliation to me that they have taken no notice 
 of me have not cared to see me. And now 
 the duchess is going incognita to Grunen, and 
 I am to go there to meet her accidentally ; 
 and you must accompany me. See for your- 
 self what she writes it is such a kind, tender 
 letter. 
 
 " She will see you, too the sister-in-law to her 
 dear son. Oh, she must be charming ! Helena, 
 do tell me what I shall wear." 
 
 And she pulled me into her sleeping-chamber, 
 and called Anita to bring her half a dozen cos- 
 tumes, that we might select one. She trembled 
 and laughed, and was like a happy child. 
 
 "I am rejoiced, Lotta," I said, " that every- 
 thing goes so well with you. Have you good 
 news from your husband, too ? " 
 
 " Oh, excellent ! He is quartered in the 
 beautiful castle of St. Nicholas, and is amusing 
 himself. He has just sent me from Nancy a 
 great roll of white silks and satins. He says I 
 must always wear white." 
 
 And as she spoke she took from Anita a lovely 
 robe of white mull. 
 
 " There, Helena ! Will that do ? that is, 
 if the weather is clear and bright to-morrow.
 
 196 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Anita, bring me the hat with the white ostrich 
 plumes. You will come with me, surely, He- 
 lena ?" 
 
 I could not do anything to disturb her great 
 joy ; and it was a burden lifted from my heart, 
 too, that they had finally taken notice of her. 
 
 " When is the meeting to take place ? " 
 
 " To-morrow afternoon at two o'clock ; we 
 start from here at twelve. Be 'punctual, 
 Helena." 
 
 I promised, and praised her toilet. Then we 
 went again into the yellow room ; Lotta sat down 
 hastily at her writing-table. 
 
 " You want to write and tell the prince," I 
 said, " and I would only disturb you, so farewell, 
 until to-morrow." 
 
 I told Frau Roden that the duchess would see 
 Lotta on the morrow, and how graciously she 
 had written. 
 
 " That is well," she answered, as she emptied 
 a basket of beans into a large dish. " She is a 
 fool about her young son, and will do as he 
 wishes, but the duke will never forgive this mar- 
 riage, if I understand him aright. He is an im- 
 perious man, and Prince Otto's conduct, you will 
 find, has not been to his taste at all." 
 
 " Why should he not relent ? " I cried. 
 
 "Oh, child, none of us like such surprises."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 197 
 
 I spent the evening in looking over my simple 
 wardrobe ; I wanted Lotta to be satisfied with 
 my appearance. Frau Roden came in my room 
 and sat down on the sofa to study the evening 
 paper. 
 
 " Who knows what may have happened to- 
 day ? " she said. 
 
 Ah, if we could have looked that evening on 
 the bloodiest battle-field of the whole war ! 
 
 The next morning was bright and clear, but 
 the sun was oppressively hot. 
 
 Frau Roden left the breakfast-table and sta- 
 tioned herself at the window to watch for the 
 postman ; but he only made a motion with his 
 hand, and passed on down the shady lane. 
 
 " That is bad, Helena." 
 
 " Perhaps you'll get one at midday," I said 
 consolingly. 
 
 " Perhaps," she sighed. 
 
 It was about ten o'clock ; I sat at Frau Ro- 
 den's writing-table, and was going through her 
 account-book for her. Suddenly the great bell 
 of St. Mary's sounded, and all the smaller ones 
 joined in a second later. 
 
 " News of another victory ! " I cried, and 
 rushed to the window ; already the masons en- 
 gaged on the castle garden wall were hastening 
 away. But the people were so silent, so differ-
 
 198 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 ent from usual, that we looked at one another 
 puzzled and terrified. 
 
 " Helena, I must see what it is ! " cried the 
 old lady, and a moment later she was hastening 
 on, under the chestnuts, as rapidly as a young 
 girl. 
 
 I knew not why it was that I was so alarmed ; 
 my knees were trembling, and it was with diffi- 
 culty that I stood at the door awaiting Frau 
 Roden's return. 
 
 She brought sad tidings. 
 
 " A great battle has been won at Gravelotte, 
 but our heir apparent has fallen ! " 
 
 The heir apparent ! It was more than sorrow 
 which seized me now it was the foreboding of 
 coming disaster. 
 
 And all the while Lotta was standing before 
 her mirror, in her lovely white gown, laughing, 
 singing, as happy as could be, and knowing 
 nothing of the fate that should strike her joy in 
 its foundations. She had heard nothing when I 
 entered her room breathless. She was putting 
 on the new hat, and its long white plumes fell 
 gracefully over her dark hair. 
 
 " Good-morning, Lotta," I said, with as much 
 composure as I could command. 
 
 But before she could answer me Anita stood 
 before us pale and trembling, a picture of horror.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 199 
 
 Lotta looked at us and cried out : 
 
 " Great God ! is he dead, Helena ? Have 
 mercy on me ! " 
 
 I shall never forget the tones of her voice ; 
 they were so clear and sharply accentuated. 
 
 " No, Lotta ; not your husband but his elder 
 brother, who fell at St. Privat." 
 
 " The heir is dead the heir ? " she stam- 
 mered, " the heir ? O God, I thank thee it is not 
 my husband ! " and she burst into tears. 
 
 Anita stood speechless, but uttered no word ; 
 but we heard a low rustling outside, and some 
 one handed her a paper, saying : 
 
 " A despatch for my lady the countess." 
 
 I perceived it was the old groom who always 
 attended Lotta, and he looked sorrowfully now 
 at the young wife weeping so bitterly. 
 
 She took the paper and read : 
 
 " Grunen impossible. 
 
 " VON OERZEN." 
 
 That was the short but terribly significant 
 message. 
 
 " Impossible ! " I heard Anita repeat. 
 
 I heard the bells tolling slowly and the voices 
 and tread of many men. When I went to the 
 window, I found a crowd of people with uncov- 
 ered heads looking up at the castle as if they
 
 200 Tn'o Daughters of One Race. 
 
 would hear some further confirmation of the sad 
 and sudden tidings. 
 
 And that moment as if for answer the flag 
 which had flaunted its colors so gayly in the 
 morning breeze sank to half mast. They looked 
 up at the tower and then at her windows, and 
 stood in silent groups, which were enlarging at 
 every moment. 
 
 And here within sat Lotta, thanking God de- 
 voutly that he had protected her beloved. 
 
 " Will there be a memorial service ? " she asked, 
 and sent Anita out to make inquiries. She re- 
 turned shortly, and with unsteady voice reported 
 that the people were already gathering in the 
 church. 
 
 " Come, Helena," said Lotta. 
 
 We pushed our way through the crowds, and 
 soon found ourselves within the crowded sanc- 
 tuary. When the verger perceived us, he tried 
 to open the ducal pew, but in his excitement he 
 could not find the key. While we stood waiting 
 the organ began. 
 
 " Let us go into the Roden pew," I whispered ; 
 " we cannot remain in this crowd." 
 
 She followed me, still dressed in the light 
 summer robe which she had put on for her inter- 
 view with the duchess. Her countenance was 
 pale, and wore a strange expression of mingled
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 201 
 
 fear, pain, and happiness. As we slipped into 
 the seat I saw Frau Roden in the shadow of a 
 pillar ; she was still attired in her plain house 
 dress and simple cap, and a little shawl thrown 
 over her shoulders ; her hands were folded upon 
 her hymn-book. I had not thought of the pos- 
 sibility of this meeting. Lotta took a seat in the 
 corner. The old lady never looked at her, but 
 motioned me to a seat by her side. 
 
 " Helena," she whispered in breathless terror, 
 " he was in that battle yesterday ; his regiment 
 was there, and the Prussian king says himself in 
 the despatch : ' I dare not ask what our loss 
 has been ! ' Oh, if God has done that to me ! " 
 She held my hand in her trembling palm, but 
 could not join in the hymn which hundreds of 
 voices took up as the organ pealed it forth: 
 " God doeth all things well." 
 
 A gray and ghostly mist rose before my eyes; 
 all light and color disappeared ; the organ's tone 
 and the singing fused into that one cry, " Helena, 
 he was in that battle." Merciful God, thou must 
 have protected him. 
 
 The organ ceased, and I heard the voice of 
 the preacher saying : " The beauty of Israel is 
 slain upon the high places. How are the mighty 
 fallen. 
 
 " Lord, thou hast required hard things of us
 
 202 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 The hope of our land hast thou taken from us. 
 and our noblest ones from out our midst. In 
 the castle of our sovereign gray-haired parents 
 are weeping, and our beloved princess mourns 
 for her husband, to whom but a year ago she 
 gave her hand, and who yesterday met a hero's 
 death at the head of his column. And yet, our 
 noble duke has said, and shall we not repeat it 
 with him : ' Peace be to him and to all those 
 who lie upon that bloody field, for they have not 
 fallen in vain, since they died for the Father- 
 land.' 
 
 " We who are assembled here do not yet know 
 which one of us has a son, a brother, or a hus- 
 band lying on that distant field, for the battle 
 was hot, and rich and full was the harvest of 
 death. But whomsoever the bolt may strike let 
 him lift up his eyes to our princely house whose 
 members bow their knees in humility and resig- 
 nation, and let him say with them, ' Lord, thy 
 will be done.' " 
 
 Lord, thy will be done ! Ah, how few there 
 were who were able to repeat those words in 
 humility and devotion. The dear old mother at 
 my side sat as if she had been turned to stone. 
 She said to me later, " I went to the church, yet 
 I could not pray." It was even so with me. As 
 we came out of the church we found the sky
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 203 
 
 over-clouded and heard the rumble of distant 
 thunder. I led Frau Roden by the arm. 
 
 Lotta, followed by Anita, hurried on ahead. 
 I looked after her as she forced her way through 
 the crowd which reverentially made way for her 
 on every side. Some took off their hats to her ; 
 she, however, made no response to their greeting, 
 but kept right on, looking neither to the right nor 
 to the left. Suddenly I heard a voice from the 
 crowd : " If the princess has a son there will be 
 no change ; otherwise we'll have Otto." There 
 was a murmur at my side : " God have mercy. 
 Let us pray that it may be a boy ! " I looked at 
 Frau Roden inquiringly. 
 
 "The poor princess," she said. 
 
 " And if it should be a girl ? " I asked, and 
 my heart stood still. 
 
 " Then Prince Otto will be heir to the throne." 
 
 " Good heavens ! and Lotta ? " I felt an im- 
 pulse to rush after her with a warning : " Prepare 
 yourself to take leave of your happiness." 
 
 But all was not lost yet. The royal child was 
 not yet born ; she might still hope, and so might 
 we. 
 
 We found no ill news awaiting us when we 
 reached home, and we felt we had yet reason to 
 hope. 
 
 The heavy thunder-storm was upon us now,
 
 204 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 and it was almost dark in the sitting-room. 
 Frau Roden sat down quietly in her easy-chair, 
 and stared without speaking at the swaying 
 branches of the old chestnut. At last she said 
 with a sigh : 
 
 " If I only had some sign that he was alive ! " 
 
 But none came. 
 
 I was very anxious about my old friend, and 
 sat on a stool at her feet, trying to say what I 
 could to comfort her. All was silent in the 
 house, and in the streets only the sound of the 
 rain still falling heavily. 
 
 The night came at last ; we sent away the 
 evening meal untasted. How could we eat when 
 our hearts seemed almost breaking ? 
 
 We retired to our rooms and lived through 
 that miserable night as best we could. I repeated 
 over and over again the question : " Is he alive ? " 
 and I always gave myself the same answer : " He 
 is dead, he is dead ; he has sought death because 
 he could not live without Lotta ! " 
 
 The thought pursued me with terrible force, 
 and at last became in my heart a certainty. 
 
 The next morning the extra with full account 
 of the battle appeared, but I shrank from looking 
 at the list of the slain. The Guards had suffered 
 the most. 
 
 " Lord, give me strength," said the pale mother,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. -20$ 
 
 as her trembling hands refused to hold the 
 paper. t 
 
 Toward evening a telegraph boy came to the 
 house with a despatch. It was a fearful moment 
 when the old lady took it. 
 
 " Bring me a chair, Helena so and a light." 
 
 Then she wiped the beads of perspiration from 
 her brow and opened the paper slowly slowly. 
 
 " Helena ! " she said to me after a moment. 
 
 I could only kneel by her and bury my head 
 in her lap. I heard the rustle of the paper and 
 her heavy sigh as she read : 
 
 "Am wounded in the arm. Do not be anxious, send 
 particulars soon. Hans von Werthern fell at my side." 
 
 I raised my head and we gazed at one an- 
 other. 
 
 " Hans ! " I whispered. That was indeed sad 
 news for me to hear. My brother, my only 
 brother ! and as I thought there came a feeling of 
 sweet peace over me ; I could cry now knowing 
 he died with honor. My first thought was for the 
 placid face that was hidden away in the graveyard 
 yonder. " Ah, grandmother, what is bred in the 
 bone will come out in the flesh ! He came back 
 from America in order to die for the Father-- 
 land ! He has more than retrieved his past ! " 
 
 Frau Roden rose suddenly.
 
 206 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " My boy must come home ! " 
 
 Then she put her arm around me. " Helena, 
 1 feel for you, my dear. You must go immedi- 
 ately to the countess, and I will hunt up Miiller. 
 He must start at once to bring my boy home, if 
 he " she struggled to keep back the tears "be 
 alive to come back." 
 
 She accompanied me to the door, and then 
 went off to hunt for the overseer, while I hastened 
 to Lotta. She was seated at the table, with ,a 
 picture of the prince before her. 
 
 " Lotta," I said, not knowing how I was to break 
 to her the news of her brother's death. She was 
 looking at her husband's picture with tender eyes, 
 and motioned me to a seat beside her. " Have 
 you had letters ? " I asked. 
 
 " No," she answered, " or rather yes," she 
 continued, as if speaking of a matter of secondary 
 importance " a letter from Hans ; he is back in 
 Germany again ; has come, in fact, to take part 
 in the campaign. Would that he had remained 
 in America ! It is so painful ; he should have 
 saved me from disagreeable possibilities. I do 
 hope he won't run across Otto, for he would 
 be sure to ask his intercession in arranging his 
 affairs." 
 
 My eyes were fastened on the floor, but the 
 tears ran down my cheeks. Lotta had not hesi-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 207 
 
 tated to implore Fritz Roden's a;d for her 
 brother, but now her pride, made any such ap- 
 peal to her husband very painful. Evidently 
 the thought that the prince might encounter 
 Hans disturbed her deeply. Her sisterly love 
 seemed to have diminished since her residence 
 in these beautiful rooms. 
 
 "Why do you weep?" she asked impatiently. 
 
 Then I laid the despatch down before her and 
 went in the next room. It was kinder to her to 
 let her learn the news by herself, after the sharp 
 comment she had just uttered. 
 
 After a time she followed me, and threw her 
 arms around my neck. And we sat hand in hand 
 in the dark room, and wept together over our 
 lost Hans. I knew she would have given much 
 in that hour if she could have recalled the last 
 words she had spoken about him. We remained 
 absolutely silent : what was there to be said ? 
 
 When I went home, late in the evening, I found 
 the house in a bustle ; Frau Roden had just fin- 
 ished packing a trunk, and was now filling a 
 hamper with wines, liquors, and other possible 
 necessities for an invalid. 
 
 " I have sent him some changes of linen," she 
 said to me, putting her hand on the little trunk, 
 " and Miiller starts at eleven o'clock." 
 
 He came in at half-past ten, with his hat on
 
 20 8 Two Dang fliers of One Race. 
 
 and an overcoat over his arm, while he carried a 
 thick walking-stick. He was a quiet, reserved 
 man of about fifty years; he sat down by the 
 table as composedly as if he had dropped in for 
 a consultation regarding his daily duties, and 
 listened respectfully to his mistress's directions 
 regarding the journey. 
 
 " Muller," she said, " I don't think you'll have 
 much difficulty. German is spoken everywhere 
 now, and when you come to the place all you'll 
 have to do is to ask where the hospital is, and if 
 there is none, then you must search untiringly 
 for your young master. You will surely recog- 
 nize him, no matter how miserable he may look." 
 
 "Yes, Frau Roden," he responded solemnly, 
 " I should know him under any circumstances." 
 
 " And send me news every day. I have put 
 plenty of postal-cards in the trunk pocket, and 
 pens and ink too ; and do not be saving of the 
 money ; I know how economical you are. Spend 
 when you need it." 
 
 " Yes, Frau Roden." 
 
 " Muller, if you find him doing well ! " 
 
 " I think I shall." 
 
 " Then all may be well yet God is good ! " 
 
 " Of course, mistress." 
 
 " Muller, if he is very ill, telegraph me at once. 
 I shall be ready to start. I must see him once
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 209 
 
 more, even if he does not recognize me. And, 
 Miiller, if the worst has happened if they have 
 already buried him then at least find the spot 
 where my last son lies." 
 
 She cried softly, and Miiller turned away, but 
 his big gray eyes were wet, I could see. 
 
 " No, no, Frau Roden," he said, after a pause, 
 " nothing so bad as that, and it does not help 
 matters to weep ; you must hold up your head. 
 This is war, and you do not weep alone, Frau 
 Roden." 
 
 " Yes, Miiller, you are right ; crying will not 
 mend matters, and I am no bad patriot. I 
 would willingly do much for the Fatherland, and 
 am very proud of the victory we have just won. 
 But when I think that my boy may never call 
 ' mother ' again, that I may never hear his 
 familiar footstep, never see him cross the thresh- 
 old of this room in that moment I forget 
 country and honor, and only remember that I 
 am a poor old woman, from whom has been 
 taken her last support, and that no sunbeam can 
 ever cross my pathway again if my son shall 
 have gone from me forever. Ah, Miiller, you 
 ask all the mothers that have been childless 
 since yesterday, whether one of them finds heart 
 to thank God because she is the mother of a 
 hero, when her boy is lying stiff and cold upon 
 14
 
 2io Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 the battle-field. No, no ; they are on their knees 
 in agony with no other feeling than that of pain ! 
 I speak of wives as well as mothers, Muller ; but 
 we all love our Fatherland, too." 
 
 " To be sure," Muller answered thoughtfully. 
 " I know that from my own dear sister, who has 
 grieved so sorely because she has never heard 
 from her youngest son since. Yes, the mother 
 hangs some new hope each day upon her chil- 
 dren's blonde heads. 
 
 "But no one escapes, Frau Roden, not even 
 the king, nor Bismarck, nor Moltke ; they all 
 have broken hearts as well as the mothers the 
 whole land mourns. But, Frau Roden, do not 
 be discouraged ; the young master lives, and so 
 long as we have life we have hope. Farewell ; 
 the carriage is waiting." 
 
 " Adieu, Muller ! Take care of my Fritz ; 
 I will never forget your fidelity as long as I live." 
 
 " Oh, Frau Roden, that is only my duty," said 
 the man. "Farewell, Fraulein von Werthern." 
 
 " Adieu, Herr Muller," I said ; " give a kindly 
 greeting to your master from me." 
 
 The old lady followed him to the door, and 
 I stood at the window watching the carriage 
 lamps until they disappeared under the gateway. 
 Would he find him ? I wondered. Would he 
 find him and how ? Wounded to the death,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 21 1 
 
 or dying of fever, or perhaps, like our poor 
 Hans, no more counted among the living ? 
 
 Frau Roden did not come back, and, after a 
 time, I sought her through the house and found 
 her in her son's room ; the candle stood upon 
 his writing-table, and she was sitting on the sofa 
 holding an old straw hat in her hand. 
 
 " It had fallen from his clothes-press," she 
 explained ; and I acted as if I did not know 
 that the dear old soul had come here to look 
 for something belonging to her Fritz which she 
 might press to her lips. 
 
 And then she asked the question I had just 
 put to myself : " Would Miiller find him, and 
 would he bring him home ? " I was silent, and 
 she moaned sadly. 
 
 " What v ill become of us if he does not come 
 back, Helena? " 
 
 " Of us ? " I asked. The " us " struck to my 
 very heart. The hat rolled to my feet, and the 
 old lady rose and threw her arms around me 
 and kissed me warmly. " Ah, dear child, you do 
 not know how much I love you ! " Then she 
 looked into my tired face, and led me across the 
 hall to my own room. " Go to sleep," she said ; 
 " it has been a hard day ; God will be merciful." 
 And I was left alone in my room, my heart beat- 
 ing strangely in my breast.
 
 212 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 What would become of us of me ? Ah, I 
 could not be more miserable if he were dead, 
 not more miserable than now, for he would never 
 forget Lotta, never ! And if he came home, 
 where would I go ? Where indeed ? The world 
 was large, and helping hands were needed every- 
 where. 
 
 " I will become a nurse in a hospital," I deter- 
 mined, as I stared into the darkness with my 
 sleepless eyes.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 DAY followed day, slowly and tediously. In 
 the bright sunny room adjoining Frau Roden's 
 own sleeping-chamber a bed had been placed, 
 and was all in readiness with its snow-white linen 
 for the young master. Heavy shutters hung at 
 the windows so that the sun could be excluded 
 on oppressive days, a large invalid's chair was 
 placed at one of them, and everything was in 
 readiness for the reception of the invalid ; but 
 he for whose comfort all had been prepared did 
 not come. 
 
 Very meagre was the news which we received 
 from Mtiller, for he got on slowly. The railways 
 had been torn up, and conveyances of any kind 
 it was hard to obtain, and he had been able, so 
 far, to ascertain nothing definite in regard to 
 where the wounded had been taken. They had 
 evidently been distributed over different parts 
 of the country. Each day the papers recounted 
 additional horrors of that fatal battle-field : was 
 it any wonder that our courage sank deeper and 
 deeper ? 
 
 At last we saw his name in the list of the se- 
 verely wounded. " Oh God ! and I am not wjth
 
 214 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 him," moaned his mother ; " my only son, all I 
 have in this world and so far from him." And 
 then she would ask again whether she was not 
 strong enough to go in search of him, and she 
 would always give herself the same despondent 
 answer : 
 
 " But I could not go beyond the frontier." 
 Then after two weeks came a card from Pont 
 a Mousson ; 
 
 " I have found him, he is already better; in two weeks 
 the physician says he thinks we will be able to start for 
 home, travelling slowly. He only recovered consciousness 
 yesterday and is very weak ; he was very glad to see me, 
 and sends a hearty greeting to his mother. He is sleeping 
 now, and Frau Roden can nurse the happy thought that 
 he has had enough of this campaign, which, by the way, 
 I think will soon end. I will write you regularly here- 
 after. 
 
 " MULLER." 
 
 I was with Lotta when the card came, but in 
 her joy Frau Roden sent it over to me at once. 
 
 Lotta took no notice of the paper the servant 
 had brought me. She worked quietly on the 
 princely arms which she was embroidering in 
 gold and red on a white ground. She was mak- 
 ing a portfolio cover for her husband to send 
 him on his birthday. With a happy smile she 
 stopped every now and then to consider her work
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 215 
 
 and to look at it in a small mirror that lay on the 
 table in front of her. 
 
 We were sitting in the castle garden ; it was 
 one of those perfect days which seem only pos- 
 sible in September, and the gentle breeze stirred 
 the branches over our heads and bore to us the 
 delicate perfumes of the autumn flowers. 
 
 Lotta had letters and despatches lying around 
 her, and in an open case on the table before her 
 lay a magnificent jewel from the court jeweller 
 which had been sent her by the order of his high- 
 ness, and which blazed and glistened in the sun- 
 shine. She was in great good humor to-day, for 
 she had just received a long letter from one of her 
 former friends in Berlin, congratulating her upon 
 her brilliant alliance, and saying that notwith- 
 standing the war excitement, the chief topic of 
 conversation in society circles at the capital was 
 the marriage of the lovely Lotta von Werthern 
 with Prince Otto. 
 
 Her husband had just written her that as soon 
 as the war was over and it looked now as if 
 peace would soon be proclaimed they would 
 take their wedding journey, and he asked her in 
 which city she would prefer to reside for the 
 coming winter, Rome or Naples. She was so 
 absorbed in her pleasant dreams and the em- 
 broidery she was working that she did not
 
 216 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 notice the card, upon which Frau Roden had 
 added : 
 
 ''Do not hurry back, Helena, for I am going to the 
 superintendent and then to Frau Oberforster to tell them 
 that he yet lives." 
 
 We had never spoken of Fritz Roden. I felt 
 my hand tremble violently as I gave Lotta a cup 
 of coffee for which she had begged, and a few 
 brown drops fell upon the embroidery. 
 
 She looked up angrily. 
 
 " Ah, Helena, be careful. You will spoil all 
 my work." 
 
 I was frightened and begged her pardon. But 
 she was not mollified. 
 
 " I would like to know, Helena, what has come 
 over you ? " 
 
 " It was good news, Lotta." 
 
 " From whom have you had good news ? " 
 
 " Not I ; it was Frau Roden received it; Ftitz 
 is better. You probably do not know that he 
 was severely wounded." 
 
 She lifted her head and looked at me ; there 
 was no sympathy in the glance of astonishment. 
 I had spoken rather sharply. As she said noth- 
 ing I began : 
 
 " As I am talking about this, Lotta, I may as 
 well add, that I am going back to Berlin when 
 Fritz Roden returns."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 217 
 
 " Why under the sun would you do that ? " 
 And the piercing glance she gave me seemed to 
 look into my very soul. I felt the hot blood 
 rush into my cheeks. I made no answer, but 
 began knitting again on the socks which were to 
 be sent in Frau Roden's next box to camp. 
 
 " For my sake do not leave your present asy- 
 lum," she began. " How can my having broken 
 my engagement affect you ? He is far too good- 
 natured, and was too deeply in love with me to 
 blame my sister for what I did ; and as. you know 
 all the circumstances, and he made it very plain 
 that he was desperately in love with me, you 
 have nothing to risk in any way by remaining. 
 Or perhaps you have other reasons ? " 
 
 "No," I answered coolly. 
 
 " At one time I thought you were in love with 
 Fritz Roden," she continued ; " but when I saw 
 how collected you were, and how quietly you sat 
 at your work-table when my lover came in, I said 
 to myself : ' No ; when a woman truly loves she 
 would rather spring from the bridge into the 
 water beneath, than watch, with apparent indif- 
 ference, another receive the caresses for which 
 she longs.' Is that not so, Helena ? " 
 
 I could not answer ; she knew nothing of the 
 agony and despair I had endured that night on 
 the steps, nor how hard it had been for me to sit
 
 2i8 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 quietly when I heard his footsteps at the door ; 
 I had often been fearful she would hear my heart 
 beat. 
 
 Lotta sat quietly for a few moments winding 
 her silks carelessly. 
 
 At last she said: "And that is why I think 
 you can remain quietly where you are, without 
 your enviable equanimity being disturbed in the 
 slightest." 
 
 " That is what you call love ? " I asked, taking 
 no notice of her last words. 
 
 " Yes, that is love," she replied vehemently. 
 " Suppose, for example, that you loved Fritz 
 Roden. Do you think that was love you felt 
 when you came to me with his proposal ? And 
 during the whole time of my engagement, which, 
 by the way, was the most horrible chapter of my 
 whole life, you kept urging me to treat him with 
 what you considered a proper regard, and begged 
 me on your knees not to retract my promise, 
 because it would make him unhappy. Helena, I 
 tell you that no woman who loves has any such 
 magnanimity, not even the noblest soul, and such, 
 on the whole, I consider you to be. No human 
 being has such control over himself." 
 
 " I believe in a better love," I said, half aloud. 
 
 " Then it is no love at all," she continued ire- 
 fully. " Do not always revolve around one idea,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 219 
 
 Helena ; call it friendship, good-will, benevo- 
 lence what you will but do not call it love ! 
 Love is never better nor never worse ; it is always 
 and ever the same ; it tolerates nothing foreign. 
 You certainly won't try to make me believe that 
 you 
 
 " Shall I read the papers aloud ? " I interrupted 
 shortly. 
 
 " No, I thank you. I am tired to death of 
 this unending war news," she answered peevishly ; 
 " just as I am tired of seeing you forever knitting 
 at those socks." 
 
 This was the old capricious Lotta von Wer- 
 thern. Uncertain in temper, and always wrath- 
 ful when her opinion was not accepted. How 
 she could hurt me with her tongue. I continued 
 knitting for a few moments, and then rolled up 
 my work, and rose preparatory to going home. 
 
 As I did so, I saw Anita coming down the 
 path toward us. She was dressed entirely in 
 black, and looked smaller than ever. I thought, 
 as I watched her, how lovely she must have 
 been when a girl, and how attractive she was 
 still. 
 
 Anita could not keep her eyes from mirroring 
 what was in her mind, and I saw, as she came 
 up to us, that something had occurred which dis- 
 turbed her greatly.
 
 220 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Countess," she said, in a humble, quiet voice, 
 " I bring you bad news ; early this morning, at 
 R., a dead prince was born." 
 
 She gave me a glance, as she spoke, which I 
 did not then comprehend. 
 
 But Lotta only said :' 
 
 " Oh ! dead ? How sad ! " 
 
 She had no thought that in this little princely 
 coffin would be buried, not only the last conso- 
 lation of the stricken and widowed mother, but 
 her own hopes of happiness as well. 
 
 Anita was silent, but looked at me with uneasy, 
 frightened eyes. Lotta sat plying her needle 
 with its golden thread, and thought only of a 
 wreath for the coffin. 
 
 " v Go at once to the gardener, Anita, and tell 
 him to make a wreath of white violets ; there are 
 so many violets now, and they are spring flowers, 
 too. Poor princess ! And how is she, Anita ? 
 How did you hear of it ? " 
 
 " The whole town is talking of it, my lady." 
 
 " Well, I shall, of course, be informed of it. 
 Go and tell the gardener about the wreath.'' 
 Anita went at once. 
 
 I felt almost suffocated as I looked at the 
 young wife sitting so quietly opposite me. A 
 storm was gathering around her which might at 
 any moment burst over her beautiful head and
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 221 
 
 destroy her forever. She sat leaning back in her 
 chair, and had thrown her embroidery aside. I 
 knew not what were her thoughts, but the color 
 came and went in her face. 
 
 Finally she rose and said ; " I want to write 
 to Otto ; only a few words. Will you come in 
 with me ? " 
 
 " I will follow you shortly, Lotta." 
 
 I followed her with my eye until she disap- 
 peared through the glass door in the castle. 
 What would become of this passionate creature 
 when they should say to her : " Go, you are not 
 of high enough birth to be the wife of the heir 
 to the throne ? " 
 
 I could not endure the thought of it, and 
 sprang up and began to wander through the 
 grounds, among the beds of brilliant flowers, past 
 the murmuring fountains, catching glimpses now 
 and then of the white marble statues which 
 glistened in the sunlight or stood half hidden in 
 the shadow of the grove. 
 
 But was all then lost ? If only the prince 
 loved her better than crown or throne ! Is not 
 a marriage sacred ? How could man dare to 
 interfere when they had given themselves to one 
 another to all eternity ? And then there came, 
 as if in answer to my question, a whisper from 
 Anita, who stood by my side.
 
 222 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Oh, this is very bad for the countess, Fra'u- 
 lein von Werthern." 
 
 I turned now and went into the castle, and 
 found Lotta in her own room at the beautiful 
 writing-table, with its feet of golden lion's claws, 
 and its back a golden sphinx with unearthly eyes 
 resting upon a marble base with the inscription 
 in French : " What the future has hidden in its 
 dark bosom is a riddle, unfathomable for the 
 moment, but Time reveals all things." Before 
 her lay a letter already sealed and directed. 
 
 " Read the address," she said, handing it to me. 
 " I am sadly confused to-day. Is it all right ? " 
 
 "Yes," I answered, after scanning it carefully. 
 
 She thanked me, and stepped to the bell. 
 
 After the servant had taken the letter away, 
 she turned to me : " Helena, I think there is 
 a ' History of Roman Art ' among our books ; 
 won't you find it and send it across to me ? I 
 want to study it." 
 
 " Willingly, Lotta ; and I will come back and 
 remain with you, if you desire it." 
 
 " No, no ; I will read." And she took from a 
 drawer a package of letters and untied them. 
 They were her husband's. Had she any mis- 
 givings that her trust and confidence in him 
 might prove misplaced ? 
 
 As I went from the castle I met Frau Roden,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 223 
 
 Avith a happy smile on her face that had been 
 lacking there for many a day. " God is good," 
 she said, as she pressed my hand. 
 
 " Have you heard," I asked, " the prince was 
 born dead ? " 
 
 She nodded her head and looked at me ear- 
 nestly, but said nothing. 
 
 The following morning all Germany was one 
 great jubilee. The bells pealed forth merrily, 
 and the people shouted themselves hoarse, as the 
 news fairly flew : " Napoleon is taken prisoner ! 
 He has surrendered his sword to the King of 
 Prussia ! " 
 
 The air was filled with music, and the people 
 shouted their war songs with untiring enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 Just at twilight as I sat at my window an ele- 
 gant carriage drove up to the castle, and a man 
 alighted and went hurriedly within the portals. 
 I could not see clearly, for the chestnut branches 
 were in my way. " Could it possibly be Prince 
 Otto ? " I asked myself. 
 
 I had just finished writing a letter to my guar- 
 dian, begging him to secure for me a place as 
 nurse in a Berlin hospital. 
 
 Frau Roden had no thought of what I con- 
 templated ; that I knew, but I could not do 
 otherwise. It was no despairing jump from the
 
 224 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 bridge, as Lotta had said, but I did not feel I 
 was strong enough to begin my old heart strug- 
 gles anew. 
 
 There was no sound in the whole house. All 
 the maids and lads were out building the bon- 
 fires and otherwise assisting in the preparations 
 for the illumination. 
 
 The great, good news of victory had obliter- 
 ated from all minds for the time being the little 
 dead prince. 
 
 It was a high, a holy inspiration, and the en- 
 thusiasm reached the lowliest hut, and entered 
 into hearts which sorrow and distress had made 
 almost callous. The people stood upon their 
 doorsteps and talked of it all over and over 
 again, and even the smallest children playing at 
 their feet told how Napoleon had been captured, 
 and his army forced to lay down their arms. 
 
 And the mother nodded, and thought of the 
 broken hearts the terrible war had made. 
 
 " Napoleon is a prisoner ! Great God, thou 
 art just ! " 
 
 Then I heard the voice of the old lady sing- 
 ing in her feeble tremble, " Now praise ye the 
 Lord ! " 
 
 I hurried downstairs to her and sat down on 
 a stool at her feet, and soon we were singing 
 together ;
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 225 
 
 " With one consent let all the earth 
 To God their cheerful voices raise ! " 
 
 As I sang I looked up at the picture hanging 
 over the piano, and the tears filled my eyes as 
 I gazed on the handsome boyish face. Ah, the 
 battle-field of St. Privat had left scars that only 
 time could heal ; I could sing no more that night ! 
 
 "Ah, Helena, there is joy and peace in many 
 households to-night," said the old lady, pressing 
 my hand gently. " And now come with me to 
 the cellar ; to night my people shall have a glass 
 of wine : there is a small cask of red Elsasser 
 which they shall drink ; Jurgen shall bring it up. 
 And then we must light the lamps. I see lights 
 already in the shop at the corner." 
 
 But the old lady had to go alone to the cellar 
 after all, for Lotta sent me an imperative message 
 to come across to her immediately. 
 
 As I hastened to her in the yellow salon, I 
 realized that the storm had already gathered, 
 and hung over the head of the deathly-pale wife, 
 who met me with such singular composure as I 
 entered. 
 
 To think that it had come so quickly ! 
 
 " The Lord Chamberlain von Oerzen," said 
 
 Lotta, presenting me ; and from a sofa near the 
 
 round table in the middle of the room rose a 
 
 little thin man, about fifty-five years of age, I 
 
 15
 
 226 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 should judge. His dress was entirely black ; he 
 wore a mourning badge on his right arm, and 
 held his hat in his hand while he made" me a 
 ceremonious bow. He gave a slight cough, 
 looked at me curiously through his pale blue 
 eyes, and then took another seat nearer us. 
 Lotta sank back again in her low chair, and I 
 took a seat near her. 
 
 No one spoke for a moment, and the stillness 
 * as oppressive ; the sounds of music and the joy- 
 vJ shouts came in through the window. 
 
 ''Shouts of victory," said the lord chamber- 
 lain, at last, as he turned to me. " What a glit- 
 tering exterior ! And yet how sad to the indi- 
 vidual is this war, how many fair young lives, 
 how many beautiful hopes are destroyed ! There 
 comes to the one who is forced to make great 
 sacrifices only the consolation : It is for the good 
 of all." 
 
 He looked across at Lotta, who sat with white 
 face and a smile of derision on her trembling 
 lips. She gave him no answer. 
 
 " The gracious countess will understand it 
 fully, 'A he said, smiling and bowing, while he 
 turned his eyes searchingly upon her immobile 
 countenance. 
 
 " No," responded Lotta, " I do not understand 
 it, and will not understand it, Herr von Oerzen.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 227 
 
 Have the goodness to say to the duke that you 
 unfortunately had to do with a woman who was 
 so dull of apprehension that she was unable to 
 comprehend 'the good of all.' But that she is a 
 woman, a woman who loves her husband un- 
 speakably, and who therefore has no place in her 
 heart for these other interests. Tell the duke 
 that this woman knows nothing of politics, but 
 that she does know how to be true and how to 
 keep her word." 
 
 Lotta controlled her voice with difficulty as she 
 spoke. She rose with her last words, and bowed 
 haughtily to the astounded ambassador, and in 
 another moment the yellow silk curtains closed 
 behind her vanishing form. Now I knew all; it 
 had come to this. 
 
 I was about to follow her, but the lord cham- 
 berlain detained me by a motion of his hand and 
 a despairing glance. " Fraulein von Werthern," 
 he said earnestly, " it is a terribly painful and 
 exceedingly delicate matter upon which I have 
 sought an audience with the countess. I beg 
 you to assist me, to stand by me. It is an affair 
 of the coldest reason, a question of politics, and 
 I know that it must fall into the spring-time of 
 love like a destructive frost. But the necessity 
 is so inexorable, the compulsion so unavoidable, 
 that that "
 
 228 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 He paused and wiped the perspiration from 
 his brow. 
 
 " I know what you mean, Herr von Oerzen ; 
 everybody anticipated what would come after 
 the death of the heir apparent and the birth of 
 the dead prince, everybody except my sister ; 
 my poor, dear Lotta." 
 
 " Fraulein von Werthern, the tradition, the cus- 
 tom, is as relentless as fate ; but it must be so." 
 
 " I understand you perfectly," I replied, and 
 my voice trembled. " You said the same thing 
 a moment ago plainly enough : ' The individual 
 must subordinate himself to the whole.' It 
 sounds very wonderful and may be very noble, 
 but " 
 
 "But you heard the countess's answer," he 
 interrupted hastily. " I dare not take such an 
 answer to the duke. I must at least have the 
 appearance of compliance." 
 
 "You do not know my sister." 
 
 " My God, Fraulein, the countess is a lady of 
 such fine feeling, such delicate perceptions, it is 
 impossible she should not perceive that Prince 
 Otto really can no longer follow his inclinations, 
 that he has earnest duties to perform." 
 
 "She loves her husband," I stammered, and 
 the tears came into my eyes. 
 
 " I beseech you, Fraulein, to obtain for me
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 229 
 
 another quarter of an hour's audience with the 
 countess." 
 
 " I will try it," I answered, and went with beat- 
 ing heart into the next apartment ; she was not 
 there ! 
 
 But in her bed-chamber I heard the sound of 
 sobbing, and directed my steps thither. The rich 
 hanging lamp cast a rose glow through the cosey 
 room, and the princely crown, by which the heavy 
 folds of the blue silk hangings of the great bed 
 were fastened to the ceiling, sparkled faintly in 
 the dim light. My step was not audible on the 
 thick, soft carpet, and I kneeled down by Lotta, 
 who sat motionless in a large arm-chair. Her 
 back was turned to the light, her hands were 
 firmly clasped together, and her eyes were fixed 
 upon a life-size portrait of the prince which hung 
 on the wall before her. She did not perceive my 
 presence until I touched her lightly. 
 
 "Lotta, my dear, good Lotta," I said tenderly. 
 
 'What do you want ? " she said as she aroused 
 herself. 
 
 " I thought you were crying, Lotta." 
 
 " I ? no ; why ? Because the duke has sent 
 the scarecrow to intimidate me ? No ! I am 
 disturbed, but Otto will know how to avenge me. 
 Do you know why that man came, Helena ? " 
 she continued, leaning forward. " I shall write
 
 230 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 at once to Otto that if he is in doubt as to 
 whether he will resign his claims as heir apparent, 
 I will not stand in the way of his fortune, and 
 will give him at once his freedom freedom to 
 marry a princess, for, of course, that is what they 
 require. Yes, Helena, that is what I shall write 
 him with this hand, which has each day written 
 to assure him that I would love him to all eter- 
 nity. I, who have scarcely possessed him, will 
 show him the way to turn aside if he desires. 
 They have offered me what they consider ade- 
 quate compensation, and the unbounded thanks 
 of the ducal household as an additional gift. 
 My God ! " 
 
 She ceased speaking, and the small hand upon 
 which the new wedding ring sparkled, clutched 
 at her hair spasmodically. 
 
 " Never," she repeated, " never. I will not 
 be a puppet in their hands." 
 
 " Lotta," I begged, " Herr von Oerzen wishes 
 to speak to you only for a moment." 
 
 " No ! " she cried, and sprang to her feet. 
 "No! Say to him, that if it be Prince Otto's' 
 wish to push the unbefitting wife aside, well and 
 good ; but I will have no further conversation on 
 the subject never. And he," she sank back in 
 her chair and looked up at me wildly, " he loves 
 me. Go and tell that man what I say."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 231 
 
 " The duchess wished to spare her much bit- 
 terness," lisped the chamberlain, rather discon- 
 certed by my message, "both him and her. On!/ 
 this mornipg the duchess said to me that it would 
 be, in the long run, so much better for the 
 countess if she, with noble self-forgetfulness, 
 Nvoulrt give back to the prince his freedom, so 
 much easier for her than to have him say, ' My 
 dear child, so and so, I have loved you ardently, 
 but the circumstances demand '- You under- 
 stand, Fraulein von Werthern ? " 
 
 " Pardon me, Herr von Oerzen," I asked, 
 trembling, " but if the prince does not say that, 
 if he loves my sister so well that he will not re- 
 nounce her, what then ? " 
 
 He was embarrassed, greatly embarrassed ; he 
 stammered about beauty, intellectual endow- 
 ments of the countess, relentless fate, fulfilment 
 of duty, princely birth, and what its requirements 
 were. 
 
 " It was a foolish question," I responded bit- 
 terly. " Pardon me ! " He stared at the tears 
 that were rolling down my cheeks after all, he 
 was only a human being. 
 
 " Fraulein von Werthern," he began warmly, 
 and took my hand ; " you do not know Prince 
 Otto ; but were it otherwise, were he the most 
 earnest, the best, the truest, and most honest of
 
 232 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 his sex, if he were convinced that they should 
 both be miserable for all time, he there and she 
 here, still it could not be helped. There are 
 duties which a prince dare not shun ; the times 
 of Philippine Welser and of the old Duke of Des- 
 sau are gone. Farewell, dear Fraulein, and do 
 me the justice to believe that in all my life I 
 have had no harder duty to perform than the 
 message which I was forced to deliver in this 
 room to-day." 
 
 He pressed my hand and bowed and was gone 
 in a moment. I hastened to Lotta's sleeping- 
 room, but found the glass doors behind the cur- 
 tains closed. I knocked several times, but re- 
 ceived no answer. 
 
 " Lotta ! " I cried, " I only want to speak a 
 word, dear Lotta ! " But I heard no sound. 
 Puzzled I turned away, and found Anita waiting 
 to speak to me. 
 
 " Herr von Oerzen begs that you will give 
 these papers to the countess, for she may possibly 
 be induced to sign them," she said, and handed 
 me a sealed envelope addressed to my sister. 
 
 I took it mechanically and stepped back into 
 the yellow salon ; Anita followed me, evidently 
 with something on her mind. I went to the table, 
 and stood there with sorrowful thoughts in my 
 heart.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 233 
 
 " Fraulein von Werthern," began Anita, in 
 her peculiarly accentuated German, " the duke 
 means well by the countess he he if the 
 countess will believe it " 
 
 I looked at her and she hesitated a moment. 
 
 " Oh, Fraulein von Werthern, you have never 
 liked me," she continued, " you have always 
 passed me by so proudly as if you would say, ' I 
 perceive that all is not quite right here.' How 
 does it happen that I am here in this castle that 
 the people look at me with such meaning glances ? 
 It is a long, sad history, which I will not relate 
 to you, only I pray, if it is possible, make the 
 countess accept the proposal that was made to 
 her to-day ! She will be spared great grief, for 
 he " she came close to me " he is one of those 
 of whom your German proverb says : He would 
 walk over the body of his brother ! " 
 
 I stared at her. What could she know of the 
 lord chamberlain's mission ? 
 
 She took up a silver tray with a glass of 
 seltzer water on it, and as she turned to leave the 
 room she looked back over her shoulder at me, 
 and smiling, added : 
 
 " I know it from my own experience ; I know 
 how such things are arranged here." 
 
 Her speech had a frivolous sound, but in her 
 dark eyes the tears had gathered and gave a
 
 234 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 sharp contradiction to her assumed gayety. For 
 the first time in my life I had a feeling of compas- 
 sion for this woman, growing gray in this castle. 
 Oh, if Lotta had never set foot in the place ! And 
 her old words sounded suddenly in my ear : " No, 
 I will not be a puppet." Ah, Lotta, how impet- 
 uous and thoughtless you have been all your life. 
 
 The lamp burned brightly in the lovely room, 
 casting its shadows here and there ; the clock 
 ticked softly ; the golden statue of the sphinx 
 rose from its marble base and eyed me silently ; 
 and the inscription stared at me with its devilish 
 device : " What the future has hidden in its dark 
 bosom is a riddle, unfathomable for the moment, 
 but time reveals all things." 
 
 To me the future was now no riddle. I saw 
 Lotta leaving forever the castle, and I going 
 sadly to join her from the house opposite and 
 we two, arm in arm, leaving the town and going 
 where ? I knew not. But we were poor beg- 
 gars, without happiness or hope.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE i'ollowing day I received a line from Lotta: 
 " Will you go with me to the concert this even- 
 ing ? " I looked up at Frau Roden, frightened : 
 we had talked of nothing else since yesterday 
 but Lotta, and the great trouble and sorrow that 
 had come to her. There was a strange singer in 
 town, and the object of the concert was to raise 
 money for the wounded, and for the widows and 
 orphans in Rotenberg. 
 
 " Go with her, Helena ; many seek diversion to 
 hide their grief," said the good creature; "only 
 think in what distress she must really be." 
 
 I assented, and soon after I had sent Lotta 
 my answer, I heard her carriage rattling down 
 the street. She had gone driving as usual, with 
 coachman and lackey and all the princely para- 
 phernalia. 
 
 In the evening, when I with heavy heart went 
 over to accompany her, I found her waiting, 
 already dressed in the most elegant mourning 
 attire I have ever seen ; a black crape gown with 
 a long train, richly garnished with point lace, and 
 a fan to match. As we threaded our way through
 
 236 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 the narrow aisle in the crowded little theatre, we 
 were followed by hundreds of curious eyes, and 
 a murmur ran through the whole room : " The 
 Countess Kaltensee ! " 
 
 I sat down, feeling I was on coals. Lotta 
 was supremely indifferent to the attention she 
 attracted, and to all appearances absorbed in 
 the music. At the end of the first part she 
 said : 
 
 " Now come ! " 
 
 And again we went through the hall, followed 
 by the inquisitive glances of the audience. 
 
 " Were you not pleased ? " I asked, in the 
 dressing-room. 
 
 " I did not listen." 
 
 " But, Lotta, why did you go ? " 
 
 " Because I wished people to see that I have 
 not yet been laid on the shelf by order of the 
 court. And that it is not my pleasure to disap- 
 pear suddenly like a flash of light." 
 
 She took my arm as she spoke, and chatted 
 gayly as she went along the quiet street of Rome, 
 of her coming winter there and of her many 
 plans for the future. When we reached the cor- 
 ner by the castle, the servants hastened ahead to 
 open the doors. 
 
 " Lotta," I said, " did you get the envelope 
 the letter that I left on your writing-table
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 237 
 
 last evening, and the line of explanation I 
 wrote ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! And it was turned into ashes 
 hours ago; it burned as briskly as such a paper 
 upon which so perfidious a matter was written, 
 could burn. Good-night, Helena." 
 
 " Have you heard from Prince Otto to-day ? " 
 
 "Yes, indeed, just as usual." 
 
 " Good news, Lotta ? " She laughed care- 
 lessly. 
 
 "What else ? Good-night, Helena." 
 
 And so day followed day noihing of impor- 
 tance occurring to disturb our quiet life. 
 
 Lotta went driving ns usual, and always ap- 
 peared with a smiling and contented air ; the 
 autumn winds often cairied to us the tones of 
 her piano as she sat playing. She walked in that 
 part of the castle gardens that was visible from 
 the public highways ; and here I saw her one 
 day as I was returning from the town. I was 
 frightened by hor appearance and hastened to 
 her. Her face was ghastly pale, her eyes were 
 heavy, and her cheeks were flaming red, and their 
 color was intensified by the little black dotted 
 veil which she wore. 
 
 " Oh, Lotta," I cried, " are you ill ? " 
 
 " No," she answered, walking beside me. 
 
 " You look so feverish."
 
 Two .Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Bah ! I am well. Do you think I will let the 
 people around here pity me because I am pale 
 and miserable ? A little rouge answers my pur- 
 pose at present." 
 
 " Tell me, Lotta," I begged, " does Prince Otto 
 know of his father's designs ? " 
 
 She hesitated a moment before she answered. 
 
 " He has assuredly received the letter in which 
 I told him about Herr von Oerzen's visit and 
 mission, for I have had answers to other matters 
 which were contained in it. But to that he has 
 not referred in any letter." 
 
 " And what do you make out of that, Lotta ? " 
 
 " That he dees not wish to disturb me, and will 
 communicate to the duke his intentions." 
 
 " And you will just have to wait ? " 
 
 " I have written to him several times to send 
 me some definite answer." 
 
 Each day Lotta grew paler and more anxious 
 looking, but she would not talk of her troubles, 
 and walked and rode more than formerly, show- 
 ing a brave front to the towns-people. 
 
 I could only pray to God to do for her what 
 he deemed best. 
 
 Everything went on as usual at the castle. 
 Letters, presents, flowers arrived daily, and Lotta 
 painted, and sat at her piano for hours, playing 
 and singing.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 239 
 
 One morning she told me that she had written 
 to her friend, Fraulein von Reckenthien, to an- 
 nounce her departure for Berlin. She would go 
 about the middle of September, and take Anita 
 with her as waiting-maid. 
 
 A few mornings later a messenger boy came 
 to our house with a telegram, which Frau Roden 
 afterward declared was the most precious mis- 
 sive she had ever received in her life. With the 
 cry : " Helena, they are coming to-night ! " she 
 opened the door of my room. " Ah, the great, 
 good God ! " 
 
 " We shall arrive this evening at eight o'clock. 
 
 " MDLLER." 
 
 The despatch came from Cologne. And now 
 there was life in the house. " Sophia, children 
 into the garden : cut some greens and flowers ! " 
 called their excited old mistress. " Mamsell," 
 to the housekeeper, " see that the youngest hens 
 are killed ; child, Helena, don't you believe he 
 will be able to eat chicken and apple cream ? 
 He is so fond of apple cream, Mamsell. Helena 
 dear, a laurel wreath ! Dear heart, go over to 
 the castle garden and make one, the finest you 
 can weave for him ! " 
 
 And she hastened out through the kitchen into 
 the court. " Jurgen, see that the carriage is
 
 240 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 washed and in order, and run over to the super- 
 intendent's office and tell him from me that the 
 young master will be at home to-day ! And tell 
 Doctor Rother to be here by eight o'clock, one 
 cannot be sure when they will arrive ; order a 
 cask of beer from the brewery for yourselves. 
 At five o'clock we will start, Jurgen ; I am going 
 to Triebelsburg myself to bring my boy home." 
 
 The house was, indeed, in an uproar the 
 greater part of that day ; the hall was littered 
 with greens and autumn blossoms, and Frau 
 Roden and I, with what maids were not needed 
 elsewhere, were soon making garlands and fes- 
 tooning the walls. In the middle of her work 
 the Frau stopped suddenly and put her hands 
 over her face. 
 
 "Only think, Helena, of the poor people who 
 have no need to make wreaths ! the dead can- 
 not return." 
 
 About mid-day two large fir-trees were bound 
 to the pillars at the entrance to the court, and a 
 garland was hung from one to the other ; and 
 in the centre was suspended a transparency with 
 a verse setting forth the bravery of the Ger- 
 man soldiers, and how the French had been 
 defeated. 
 
 The old shepherd had seen to that. Mamsell 
 did not find the verse much to her taste, but she
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 241 
 
 saw that the old servant had no other thought 
 than to say something flattering to the young 
 master, so she took it in good part. The old 
 man had used the same rhyme when he had wel- 
 comed another soldier, also a " Herr Roden," 
 back from the battle-field of Leipsic. 
 
 " To be sure," said the old man, " he left a 
 leg behind him, but he brought back a Cross of 
 the Legion." 
 
 That must have been Fritz's great-uncle. 
 
 By evening everything was in readiness ; 
 wreaths were placed over all the doors fes- 
 toons hung from the centre lamps to the four 
 corners of the room flowers were everywhere. 
 The choicest silver and glass, and the finest 
 table linen had been brought out. 
 
 The happy mother was attired in a rich black 
 silk, with pale blue ribbons fluttering from her 
 dainty cap, and rare old lace at her neck and 
 wrists. 
 
 In his room alone were no flowers or gar- 
 lands, only the laurel wreath on a little table by 
 his bed. 
 
 And now with what a joyous face she goes to 
 the carriage, and the maids follow laden with 
 pillows and rugs and foot-rests. 
 
 I sat in my room above looking out at her, 
 while in my lap lay a letter just received from 
 16
 
 242 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 my guardian. He told me that he could get 
 me admitted into the Elizabeth Hospital ; and 
 wished to know how it happened that I was 
 desirous of leaving a place where I had at first 
 been so well satisfied. 
 
 Ah, I could not tell him ; that was my secret. 
 But I regretted keenly that I had so long delayed 
 letting Frau Roden know my plans and desires. 
 She would say to me often : " In the winter, 
 Helena, we will finish that large rug I began for 
 Fritz;" or, " Helena, you will have to be diligent 
 for me when the winter comes ; my eyes are 
 troubling me a great deal ;" or, "Dear child, you 
 must learn to play whist ; it will be a change for 
 you in the long winter evenings, and help amuse 
 the invalid, too." 
 
 Then my tongue would cleave to the roof of 
 my mouth, and I could not utter a syllable. And 
 so the weeks had slipped by and nothing had 
 been decided upon only I felt I could not 
 remain. 
 
 I could not conceal from myself that I was 
 feverishly excited to-day was afraid of this 
 meeting. Day and night had I thought of him, 
 and since the hour when his mother had said, 
 weeping, " Helena, what shall become of us ? " 
 my thoughts had become rebellious, and I could 
 uot control them ; but ever and anon a voice
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 243 
 
 would whisper warningly in my ear : " You poor 
 thing, have you forgotten that you are only the 
 beautiful Lotta's sister?" 
 
 No, no : I would be rational. He was a 
 friend, a brother, an invalid, sick in body and 
 soul, for his heart would never recover from the 
 blow Lotta had given it. 
 
 I sat a long time at the window, in the twi- 
 light, thinking and planning and dreaming. The 
 moon rose over the castle, and the chestnuts cast 
 their long shadows upon our court beneath. At 
 last I heard the rumbling of carriage wheels, and 
 the steady, slow tread of the horses. 
 
 I started downstairs to meet them, but my 
 limbs trembled, and I was pale and nervous when 
 I joined the household, already assembled at the 
 door to greet their dear master. 
 
 The carriage came slowly into the court and 
 up to the broad steps. The coachman made a 
 motion with his hand as if to say : 
 
 " No noise ! We are not well enough yet for 
 any loud expressions of joy." 
 
 I hurried down the steps to the carriage door. 
 
 " Fritz," I heard his mother say, " here we are j 
 and there is Helena." 
 
 Then a voice spoke : 
 
 " Good-day, Fraulein Helena ! " 
 
 It was Herr Muller, who had just sprung from
 
 244 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 the carriage, as Jurgen got down from the box, 
 and they both came to the carriage door. Frau 
 Roden got out at once. I could not see her 
 countenance, but she pressed my hand hard. 
 
 " Be very careful," she begged ; and now they 
 lifted him out. 
 
 He was so thin and ghastly looking I stood 
 back alarmed and frightened. 
 
 " Hush ! Don't appear to notice any change," 
 she whispered ; "we must be careful." 
 
 Could this be the strong, handsome man that 
 had gone away scarcely three months ago, so 
 full of life and strength ? 
 
 They carried him in like a child, and when the 
 bright light fell upon him I could hardly realize 
 that the deeply sunken eyes and emaciated face 
 belonged to the Fritz Roden whom I had known. 
 
 " Get me to bed, mother," I heard him whisper; 
 " when I am lying down I may feel able to see 
 my people." 
 
 All was silent in the large hall. The wreaths 
 and greens seemed to hang in bitter irony over 
 the doors, and the table laden with good things, 
 which stood ready as if for a festival, was like a 
 cruel jest. 
 
 " Run at once for Doctor Rother," ordered 
 the mistress, " he should have been here sooner." 
 
 Then she disappeared in the "sick-room.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 245 
 
 " The Saviour have mercy," whispered Mam- 
 sell as the tears ran down her heavy red cheeks. 
 
 The people all went back to their own quarters 
 with sad faces and eyes downcast, and I stood 
 alone in the festal room. 
 
 Soon Fran Roden came out of her son's room 
 followed by Jurgen, who went directly to the 
 kitchen. " Helena," she whispered, coming close 
 to me, " are you resolved to go back to Berlin as 
 a nurse ? " 
 
 I looked at her, frightened at her question. 
 
 " I know all about it, Helena, though I have 
 said nothing to you. If it does not cost you 
 too great a sacrifice, there in that room is an 
 invalid, and the work you seek lies close at 
 hand." 
 
 I could say nothing, but put my hand in hers. 
 
 " God will reward you," she said, " that you 
 do not forsake me now ! " 
 
 I went up to my room and put on an apron 
 and noiseless slippers, and came back as quickly 
 as possible. 
 
 She was going through the hall with a pitcher 
 of water and a roll of linen in her hand. 
 
 " I am ready to take my place at once," was 
 all I said. 
 
 She handed me what she carried without a 
 word, " Now come, my child,"
 
 246 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Softly we went into the room and up to his 
 bed ; his eyes were closed and he looked terri- 
 bly exhausted ; the wounded arm lay upon the 
 cover. The bandages had become loosened by 
 the long journey ; I began gently to unwind 
 them. As I did so he opened his eyes and 
 looked at me, and a pleasant smile crossed his 
 wan face. 
 
 "Ah, it is you, Fraulein Helena?" he said 
 cordially ; "you are going to do it ? " 
 
 As he spoke he offered me his well hand. 
 
 " It seems worse than it really is ; I am weak 
 from my journey. How good it is to be home 
 again ! " 
 
 " Yes, my own dear boy," said his mother, 
 " now we will soon nurse you back to health, 
 but do not talk so much." 
 
 When Doctor Rother visited him, I received 
 my first instructions in nursing the wounded. 
 
 " Care, Fraulein von Werthern, and good diet," 
 said the friendly old man. " Hold the arm this 
 way that's right we are very fortunate to 
 secure the services of a young woman with such 
 soft, white hands do you know that, lady ? " 
 
 " You seem to understand it, too, doctor," 
 Fritz responded in a bantering tone. 
 
 " Yes, yes, that I do ! Now, you must be 
 quiet, and with good things to eat, and fresh ail
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 247 
 
 and patience, we'll have you on your legs before 
 you know it. And, my dear young Fraulein, 
 diet's the thing." 
 
 He patted the sick man on the face as though 
 he were a child, and then left the room to get 
 something to eat. Frau Roden was delighted to 
 think all her preparations had not been in vain. 
 
 I accompanied the old man to the table where 
 Miiller was already seated. " Now give us your 
 company, Fraulein," he said, as he poured out a 
 glass of red wine. 
 
 " Doctor,"'! asked, " is he very ill ? " 
 
 " Pretty bad he's frightfully weak. But we'll 
 be able to bring him around." 
 
 " We have nothing to fear ? " 
 
 "Fear? fear? If I get a splinter in my hand I 
 have something to fear. But don't get alarmed, 
 little Fraulein, see how beautifully the chicken 
 is browned." And the good man set bravely to 
 work to dispose of the viands that were placed 
 before him ; and soon he and Miiller were talk- 
 ing of the campaign, and Miiller was relating 
 some of the horrors of the hospital. 
 
 When the doctor finally looked at his watch, 
 he rose hurriedly, and as he put on his hat and 
 coat, he whispered to me : " He will have fever, 
 Fraulein von Werthern, but do not allow his 
 mother to become anxious or excited; the wound
 
 248 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 has become inflamed by the long journey. I{ 
 he is greatly distressed, put cracked ice on his 
 head ; there's plenty of it in the cellar, I have no 
 doubt. I'll be here early in the morning." 
 
 " Has the journey injured him greatly ? " I 
 asked anxiously. 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders impatiently. 
 
 " Dear child, it is a great damage, but a long 
 journey by rail is never an advantage to any one. 
 It is a thousand times better for him to lie here 
 than in a crowded fever-fraught room in the 
 hospital. Hold your head up and be cheerful, 
 or I cannot make use of you for a nurse." 
 
 No, I had little time for brooding ; there came 
 hard days, and long, anxious nights ; there were 
 hours in which the invalid suffered fearful pain : 
 times when all clear consciousness left him, and 
 he would call " Lotta ! Lotta ! " over and over 
 again, and my hands would tremble as I put the 
 fresh, cold cloths on his brow. 
 
 " It is not alone the wound," the old doctor 
 said ; " it is the after effects of the excitement 
 and the marches ; they all work together." 
 
 During these first weeks I did not see Lotta; I 
 only knew that she had not gone to Berlin, and 
 that she took her walks and drives as usual. 
 
 The 3oth of October was a genuine autumn 
 day. The wind drove the dead leaves against
 
 Two Daughters of One Race . 249 
 
 the \vindo\v panes, and now and then came a 
 shower, reminding one of April. In the sick- 
 room the fire had been started for the first time, 
 and the flames roared merrily in the white porce- 
 lain stove, as though they rejoiced in the favor 
 shown them by man. 
 
 In spite of the black clouds which were chasing 
 each other across the sky, all \vas bright within. 
 
 Fritz had for the first time asserted his man- 
 hood again, and declared he must know what 
 was in the newspapers. 
 
 "You cannot do it, dear mother; you strain 
 both eyes and voice; but Fraulein Helena" he 
 turned his head toward me and looked at me. 
 
 " I bother you too much, do I not ? " He 
 held out the well hand and pressed mine warmly. 
 "But I must know if we are at Paris yet." 
 
 I ran quickly to the living-room to fetch the 
 newspaper and a lamp, and caught myself sing- 
 ing softly as I went. Glancing a moment through 
 the window my eye rested on the castle, and I 
 remembered that I had intended to run across to 
 Lotta for a few moments that day, but I could 
 do that after dinner. 
 
 Taking up the paper I passed out into the hall. 
 The cellar doors stood open, and the maids were 
 carrying down great baskets of splendid winter 
 apples, and the odor of the fruit filled the house
 
 250 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Just at that moment the bell rang loudly and 
 the hall door was" flung open violently ; Anita 
 rushed in, pale and terror-stricken. 
 
 " Is she here ? " she cried. 
 
 " Who ? My sister ? " 
 
 " Yes, the countess ; I saw her running in this 
 direction." 
 
 " No," I said in alarm. 
 
 " Then she's in the garden or in your old 
 rooms," and the woman hurried out again. 
 
 I threw the newspaper on the floor, and rushed' 
 out after her. 1 overtook her at the garder 
 gate, which was wide open. 
 
 " Anita, for God's sake, what is it ? " I ex 
 claimed. 
 
 " She must have received bad news ; she wai 
 almost distracted, and I fear she may do some- 
 thing desperate. Fraulein, that's the river Rote 
 flowing down there." 
 
 I flew forward like an arrow. " Lotta ! Lotta ! " 
 I cried, but the rushing of the wind through the 
 tree-tops drowned my voice, and in my ears rang 
 the ominous words, " one leap from the bridge." 
 " Oh, Lotta, Lotta ! not that, not that ! " 
 
 " Lotta ! Lotta ! " My terror was so great, I 
 hardly know whether my voice sounded at all 
 through the lonely woods. At last I saw her 
 kneeling on the river's very edge, with one hand
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 251 
 
 thrown across the dead branch of an old tree 
 which overhung the water. " Lotta, what what 
 are you doing ? " I cried as I ran to her. She 
 turned her head toward me, and it was yet light 
 enough for me to see that her face was deathly 
 white, and that her eyes burned with a wild, 
 excited light. 
 
 " I ? nothing ! It is so hard ! " she mur- 
 mured, and threw herself, with a gesture of de- 
 spair, on the ground at my feet. 
 
 " Come," I said, as I bent over her, " come, 
 Lotta," and I held out my hands to assist her to 
 rise. 
 
 She said no word, but rose and walked by my 
 side for a short distance. 
 
 " Where are you going, Lotta ? " 
 
 "To our old rooms." 
 
 " Not there by yourself, Lotta ? " 
 
 " I will not go back to the castle." And she 
 withdrew her arm from mine. 
 
 " No, Lotta ; come with me to my room, the 
 little one we occupied together, you know, the 
 first night we came to Rotenberg. Over there it 
 is so cold, and everything is musty and in dis- 
 order. Come ! " 
 
 She followed me like a child. 
 
 As we entered the court I saw Anita standing 
 among the trees, waiting to see what her mistress
 
 252 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 would do. When she saw that Lotta would go 
 with me, she turned toward the castle, without 
 letting Lotta perceive that she had been watch- 
 ing her. Lotta followed me into that house, 
 across whose threshold she had never set foot 
 since she had broken her faith with ics master. 
 
 She evidently had no thought about that now, 
 but followed me up the stairs with slow, weary 
 tread, and into he little room which contained 
 many home trifles which had been familiar to us 
 from our childhood. 
 
 " Now sit down, Lotta, or rest on the bed, and. 
 tell me what has happened, what bad news you 
 have had." As I spoke, she threw herself, with 
 a cry of despair, upon the floor, and flung her 
 hands upon her head as if her thoughts almost 
 drove her mad. It was not possible to restrain 
 her. " If Hans were only alive," she moaned. 
 " If my brother were only alive this day ! -" 
 
 How little she had thought of Hans lately, I 
 tried not to remember. I called Frau Roden to 
 help me, and at last we got my poor distracted 
 Lotta into bed, where she lay passive, but looking 
 more like a corpse than a living being. 
 
 Frau Roden whispered : 
 . " Helena, what has happened ? " 
 
 I could not tell her, for I did not know myself. 
 At last Lotta handed me the crumpled letter
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 253 
 
 which she still held, as answer to my many 
 questions. It was from the prince. 
 
 With burning eyes I read his words; passion- 
 ate, tender ones they were, assurances of undy- 
 ing love, and at the last the words : 
 
 " My parents seem to have been in a diabolical haste 
 to get me to marry a girl suitable to my station ; the 
 widow of my brother will not run away, so I will not let 
 them rob me of my life's happiness yet awhile. We will 
 discuss this affair when we meet. I think in the mean 
 time we will not spoil our charming correspondence with 
 such vexatious matters." 
 
 The letters danced before my eyes, and I read 
 the next few words : 
 
 " Only external barriers for we will never part." 
 
 Poor Lotta ! Now I understood her despair. 
 
 " Poor Lotta ! " I bent over her, laid my 
 hand on the brow that was now so hot and 
 feverish. 
 
 " Have I deserved it ? " And she pulled her 
 wedding-ring off violently and threw it across 
 the room, as though he stood before her and 
 she meant to dash it at his feet. " Wed your 
 new bride with that ring ! " she shrieked, as 
 she raised herself in bed, " but don't think my 
 eyes will ever rest on you again ! " She sat, 
 trembling with anger, and burning with fever
 
 254 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 I could do nothing. The doctor must be sent 
 for immediately. 
 
 " What is it, doctor ? " whispered Frau Roden 
 anxiously. . 
 
 He answered with a quieting word, wrote his 
 prescription, and shrugged his shoulders. After 
 a while I ventured to say : 
 
 " Will she get worse, dear doctor ? " 
 
 " We may expect it," he answered, in his crisp 
 way, as he went out. 
 
 She was wildly delirious, but as the medicine 
 began to have its effect she became quieter. She 
 was in the garden in the moonlight walking 
 with her husband, and listening to the nightin- 
 gales. " Otto," she said, " it seems like heaven." 
 Then she chatted about her bridal wreath, about 
 their separation, and begged him to come back 
 soon. After a time her mood changed : 
 
 " Hans, avenge me ! Shoot him dead, 
 dead ! " 
 
 Her delirium continued until the gray morning, 
 when she fell into a quiet sleep. I threw myself 
 on the sofa in the little sitting-room, and thought 
 it all over ; I had expected it*had felt assured 
 that Lotta's days of happiness ^nd ignorance 
 were numbered, and yet the certainty was a ter- 
 rible shock. I fell into an uneasy slumber, and 
 wakened to find the sun shining brightly into my
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 255 
 
 room, and before me at the table stood Lotta. 
 She looked frightfully pale, her hair and dress 
 were in disorder, and her face wore a singular 
 expression. 
 
 " How do you feel, Lotta ? Why did you not 
 remain in bed ? " 
 
 "I am not tired now," she answered listlessly, 
 "only cold." 
 
 I made her lie down on the sofa, and covered 
 her, and put fresh wood in the stove ; then I 
 brought hei a cup of hot coffee. She drank it, 
 and sat back in a corner of the sofa, regardless of 
 what \vas going on about her. 
 
 I got my brushes, and tried to arrange her 
 hair ; she was lost in thought, and I trembled 
 as I caught a glance of her eyes, it was so dark 
 and sinister. I did not try to look into them 
 again, and I ceased speaking, for she did not 
 hear me, and no reply came from those colorless 
 lips. At mid-day she was still sitting in the 
 same place. When the physician came in she 
 dismissed him. " She was quite well," she 
 said. 
 
 Frau Roden received no more attention than 
 I, and her questions to Lotta went unansweredj 
 also. We stood at my chamber door and whis- 
 pered together. 
 
 " Let her alone ; it is the crisis," she said, " and
 
 256 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 come down to Fritz for a while ; I had hoped to 
 keep all this from him, but the doctor took it 
 for granted he knew all about it, so spoke out, as 
 he always does but come, he is very uneasy and 
 disturbed to-day." 
 
 " If I only knew what to do," I said. 
 
 " His arm is not well yet, remember, Helena ; 
 but Fritz must be discreet," and she sighed 
 deeply. 
 
 I went down to his room, where he lay on the 
 sofa, to which he was removed for a part of 
 each day now. Books and papers were scat- 
 tered around, but he had not attempted to read. 
 Perhaps it was only my idea, but I thought his 
 " good-day " had an abrupt, cold sound, and he 
 glanced at the clock, which stood on the table 
 near his couch. 
 
 It was three o'clock. 
 
 " Have you no time for me ? " he grumbled, 
 as I sat down by the window and took up one of 
 the papers to read aloud to him. 
 
 I looked at him rather surprised ; his face was 
 red, and he was nervously biting at his blonde 
 beard. 
 
 " Yes, I have time." 
 
 " Really ? " 
 
 The word had a comical sound, but an anxious 
 one, too,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 257 
 
 " Really ? No, you need not read ; I am too 
 nervous, too restless to listen." 
 
 I put down the paper and looked out of the 
 window. What was I to do ? Here was sitting 
 Lotta's sister, while overhead was Lotta herself, 
 whom he could never forget ill, and broken- 
 hearted and forsaken. 
 
 " I pray you, Fraulein von Werthern," he said, 
 after a moment, " do not remain here on my ac- 
 count ; you are surely more needed elsewhere." 
 
 I rose at once. 
 
 " I am going now ; your mother sent me here 
 because, she said, Lotta needed quiet, and you 
 amusement. I will neither forget nor neglect 
 my duty toward Lotta." 
 
 I threw the paper on the table and hurried 
 from the room, for the hot tears had forced 
 themselves into my eyes. I understood it all: 
 his anxiety for Lotta, his fear that she was being 
 neglected, had overpowered him. I felt I knew 
 it would always be so. 
 
 Toward evening Lotta spoke. 
 
 " Helena, can I have some writing paper ? " 
 
 I hastened to bring my portfolio, and lit a 
 lamp for her. She sat down at the table, but 
 her hands trembled, and she left great blots on 
 the sheet as she wrote. The letter was short, 
 and was soon finished. 
 17
 
 258 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Helena, I want you to post that yourself. 
 I want it to go at once." 
 
 I took it and hurried off with it ; it was to the 
 prince. 
 
 As I returned I met Anita at the door ; she 
 carried a letter and a despatch in her hand. 
 
 " These letters are for the countess ; will you 
 kindly deliver them for me ? " 
 
 " From the prince, Anita ? " 
 
 " Yes," she answered, as she turned away. 
 
 As I entered my room Lotta was pacing ex- 
 citedly up and down the room, with a set expres- 
 sion around her mouth. 
 
 " That creature has been impertinent enough 
 to make me feel that " she stood before me with 
 her hands clenched, as if I had interrupted her 
 speech. 
 
 " Who, Lotta ? Whom do you mean ? " 
 
 " Anita I mean whom else ? I have sent 
 word for her to bring me several things, and she 
 is too long." And she began again her excited 
 walk. 
 
 I lit the lamp and drew the curtains without 
 speaking. 
 
 " It is suffocating here," said Lotta impatiently, 
 and pushed the door into the sleeping-room open 
 with her foot. " These rooms are as confined as 
 prisons ; one cannot breathe."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 259 
 
 Some one knocked at the door, and on open- 
 ing it, I found Anita with a small willow ham- 
 per in her hand, covered with a cloth. I set it on 
 the table. Lotta threw aside the cover hastily. 
 
 " What did you bring these things for ? " she 
 said angrily, throwing back some of her recently 
 acquired possessions. " Do you think that I am 
 a beggar ? Here ! " 
 
 She picked up a morocco case, which had a 
 monogram upon it in gold, and opening it, flung 
 one jewel after another at Anita's feet, with the 
 excited exclamation, " Here ! " as each piece 
 was thrown. Then she opened a well-filled 
 purse, and threw the gold pieces at her. Some 
 of them, well aimed, struck the head of the 
 patient woman, and all rolled over the floor of 
 our little room. 
 
 "What did I tell you ?" she cried. "I said 
 my letters ! How dare you come here with 
 this plunder ? You can gather it up and take 
 it back where you found it ; I will have none 
 of it." And she spitefully kicked a bracelet 
 that she had thrown in a corner. 
 
 We stood speechless. 
 
 She had by this time gotten hold of her letter- 
 box, and, hastily unlocking it, sat down before 
 the fire, watching the letters blaze as she put 
 them in one by one.
 
 260 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Foi; God's sake, countess, do not burn those 
 letters," cried Anita, pale and trembling, as she 
 went to her side ; " do not destroy them, destroy 
 nothing. Every word the prince has written you 
 will avail you now ; they will be your witnesses 
 in the future." 
 
 " Go ! " ordered Lotta shortly. 
 
 "Countess, do listen to reason," pleaded the 
 woman. 
 
 " Go ! " repeated the angry wife, in a louder 
 tone, as she sat and watched her hopes, her hap- 
 piness, her all, burn to ashes. 
 
 -Shaking her head, Anita turned, gathered to- 
 gether the gold and jewels, and silently left the 
 room. 
 
 Lotta looked at one letter ; poor girl, she 
 seemed for a second to hesitate ; then she flung 
 it fiercely after the others. What need to keep 
 the loving words, since they were only written, 
 not felt ? 
 
 I could not bear the sight, and turned and 
 went into the adjoining room. Soon I heard 
 loud laughter, almost a shriek, and going back, I 
 found she had opened a satchel and taken from 
 it the myrtle wreath the wedding wreath. She 
 had it on her head, and laughed long and loud 
 just such a despairing laugh as J heard Anitq 
 give at times.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 261 
 
 " Lotta, dear Lotta ! " I cried, as I took the 
 wreath from her head. I feared her reason had 
 left her. She sank, weak and exhausted, on the 
 nearest chair, and put her hands over her face 
 with another shriek that was like the cry of a lost 
 soul. 
 
 Trembling, I threw the wreath back in the 
 satchel with the rose wreath, which had also been 
 preserved ; flowers which only bloomed for a 
 day, but the thorns were still sharp enough to 
 pierce a human heart. 
 
 I kneeled down by her and put my arms 
 around her, but she pushed me back. " Don't 
 touch me, I am tired to death ! " 
 
 As she spoke, she rose slowly and went into 
 the sleeping-room. I followed her, and she 
 threw herself exhausted on the bed. She lay 
 as quietly as if she were dead, and, leaning 
 over her, I could hear her regular breathing, 
 telling me that rest had come, for a time at 
 least. 
 
 I heard a low knock at the door,- and found 
 Frau Roden waiting outside. I put my finger on 
 my lips to impose silence until I had closed the 
 door. 
 
 " Child," she whispered, " has any one been 
 laughing loudly up here ? Fritz said he 
 sure he heard some one laughing."
 
 262 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " It was Lotta," I answered ; " her nerves are 
 all unstrung ; she was terribly excited." 
 
 " If she would only sleep or cry." 
 
 " I believe she has fallen asleep," I answered ; 
 "she is exhausted." 
 
 " Cannot you give us a few moments now ? 
 I bandaged Fritz's arm, but he was not very 
 well satisfied, I was so awkward. It is so bad, 
 Helena, when one's sight fails." 
 
 I hastened to Fritz, and hoped I might be able 
 to straighten his bandages a little, but he turned 
 his face to the wall. I could not determine 
 whether he was suffering or impatient. " Fritz," 
 I began, " may I read you something this even- 
 ing?" 
 
 "Oh, do not trouble yourself." 
 
 " I should be glad to do it, but if you have 
 other thoughts 
 
 " How do you know anything about my 
 thoughts ? " he answered petulantly, as only a 
 sick man can. 
 
 I gave no answer. His voice and manner 
 made me sad. 
 
 " Are you crying ? " he asked sharply. And, 
 as I took up the book without answering, and 
 began reading, I felt my voice tremble at the first 
 word. He gazed at me attentively for a moment, 
 and then closed his eyes. I had read but q
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 263 
 
 short time, when I stopped suddenly ; my atten- 
 tion was arrested by the sound of footsteps pac- 
 ing up and down in the room above. She had 
 not rested after all. 
 
 " Go on reading," said Fritz. 
 
 At that moment the steps came to a sudden 
 stop, and I rose to go and see if Lotta wanted 
 me, but Fritz said to his mother : 
 
 " Go and see if anything has happened ! And 
 you remain here ; this excitement is telling on 
 you, Fraulein von Werthern. ' 
 
 It was, indeed ; but I hardly felt that it was 
 possible for me to remain there quietly. 
 
 " Poor child ! " he said softly, and gazed up 
 at the ceiling. 
 
 Did he mean Lotta ? 
 
 " She is very ill," I answered. After a while 
 Frau Roden came back. " Do not be alarmed, 
 Helena," she said quietly ; " pain soon dies out 
 in such natures." 
 
 " Go on reading," said Fritz, as if he had not 
 heard his mother. But I could read no more 
 that night ; my head, my eyes, my heart ached, 
 and I could not trust myself to start again. He 
 took the book from me with an impatient move- 
 ment and began reading aloud, but after a few 
 words threw it down again. He was singularly 
 unlike himself that evening.
 
 264 
 
 He began again, a minute later, reading to 
 himself, however. This time he was soon so 
 absorbed in his book that I thought I could 
 slip away unperceived. But when I rose softly 
 he put the book down and looked at me. 
 
 " Where are you going ? " 
 
 " I am anxious about Lotta." 
 
 He did not answer, but a dark expression 
 came over his face, and he turned his head 
 away sullenly.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 IT was a time of severe trial for me. Lotta 
 sank into a distressing apathy. She would not 
 dress, nor eat, nor sleep. Every effort to inspire 
 her with new energy was fruitless. She sat 
 crouching all day in the corner of the sofa, 
 dressed in her morning wrapper, her hair caught 
 up in a simple knot, her arms folded, and her 
 eyes fixed on a single spot. 
 
 I pleaded with her ; I scolded her ; she 
 scarcely noticed me. Frau Roden remonstrated 
 earnestly with her ; she never moved a feature. 
 Only once was she aroused from this condition, 
 and that was on receipt of a letter from the 
 prince. With trembling hand she wrote upon 
 the cover that the person addressed would 
 receive no letters. She noted the same reply 
 upon a letter written her by the lord chamber- 
 lain. 
 
 Nine days passed in this way without change. 
 And this in a house to which she had brought 
 ingratitude and infidelity, but she never thought 
 of that ; and what did she think of during that
 
 266 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 time ? She was coining a terrible design I 
 learned what it was later. 
 
 Downstairs I never heard a word against 
 Lotta. If ever the biblical admonition : " Do 
 good to them who despitefully use you," was 
 conscientiously followed, it was in that old man- 
 sion house. The doctor ordered wine, and the 
 best the cellar afforded stood before the speech- 
 less young wife. Frau Roden brought flowers 
 and fruit, and placed them silently before her : 
 no word of thanks acknowledged the kind atten- 
 tion. 
 
 The house was becoming uncanny. 
 
 And with all this the door-bell rang constantly. 
 Persons who for weeks and months had not 
 called, now came to inquire after the condition 
 of the " patient" with a zeal which made me blush 
 with shame, and brought a shrewd, sarcastic 
 smile to the lips of Frau Roden. 
 
 Her son was doing quite well, she answered 
 coolly and politely ; but not a syllable about 
 her who had taken refuge under her roof, no 
 matter how bold an allusion the visitor ventured. 
 But we learned, nevertheless, how great the ex- 
 citement was in the town. 
 
 The air was full of the most incredible rumors. 
 The report that Lotta had, in her distress, fallen 
 at the feet of her former lover and besought his
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 267 
 
 pardon, was passed from lip to lip with a thou- 
 sand variations. 
 
 I went about as if on burning coals. What 
 should we do now ? Lotta could not remain 
 longer here that was certain ; and, in her 
 present condition, it was impossible for me to let 
 her go alone. I must go with her but where ? 
 And how were we to live ? If I had work from 
 early till late, it would hardly suffice for Lotta, 
 and we had not a penny. 
 
 We had no news from the Court, and were 
 ignorant whether the divorce proceedings had 
 begun or not. 
 
 "Charlotte," I began, one afternoon, as I tried 
 with soft words to persuade her to take a cup of 
 coffee, while she impatiently pushed away the 
 hand in which I held the beverage, "Charlotte, I 
 must talk seriously with you now. We cannot 
 go on in this way any longer. What have you 
 resolved upon ? What answer have you given 
 the lord chamberlain ? You must see that we 
 cannot remain any longer in this house. Please 
 tell me what you intend to do." 
 
 She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " I have thrown their miserable pension in 
 their faces," she answered at last. 
 
 " That was very inconsiderate of you, Char- 
 lotte," I said, in a tone of reproof.
 
 268 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders again, and said, in 
 a listless tone : 
 
 " It is all the same to me." 
 
 The words which she had repeated from day 
 to day. 
 
 In despair, I ran downstairs into the sitting- 
 room, where Fran Roden sat at the window, 
 knitting. 
 
 "What shall we do, dear Frau Roden?" I 
 asked, " what shall we do ? " 
 
 She comprehended my question, and replied : 
 
 " Patience, Helena ; she is ill yet ; she is one 
 of those natures who never rise very high and 
 cannot fall very low. Patience." 
 
 "But she must not longer be a burden to 
 you." 
 
 She stroked my face with her hand. 
 
 " She is not a burden to me, Helena. I have 
 only one apprehension," and her eyes turned 
 with a troubled look toward the little door which 
 led into her son's chamber. " I am afraid he 
 has not yet quite overcome," she whispered, 
 nodding sorrowfully. " He is impatient, and 
 he listens to every step overhead. I wanted to 
 change his quarters and bring him again into his 
 old room, which looks out on the court-yard ; 
 but when I spoke of it, he became more excited 
 than I ever knew him to be before. He never
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 269 
 
 asks about her, Helena, but 1 know what I 
 know ; he cannot dissemble before me." 
 
 I, too, saw it all so plainly. If I could only 
 see a way out of it all. 
 
 " I will do everything in my power to per- 
 suade Lotta to go away," I said; "it will do her 
 good, and I " 
 
 " You, Helena ? I did not mean you," inter- 
 runted the old lady. " And where would you 
 go ? No, just wait until Charlotte is better, 
 until the divorce affair is settled. Do not be 
 anxious ; I will be watchful. Study how we 
 can make my boy more cheerful, for unless we 
 can do so he will not get any better." 
 
 Days passed without any change in Lotta's 
 condition. The November storms were upon 
 us, and the dreary weather depressed our hearts 
 still further. The only one who appeared calm 
 was Fritz. The anxious mother assured me to 
 the contrary ; but it seemed to me he was uni- 
 formly content when I bound his arm, or sat 
 reading aloud at his bedside. 
 
 We had laid all books aside, but I had to read 
 a great deal more from the newspapers, for Metz 
 and Paris were now the objects of our chief 
 concern. 
 
 One afternoon, as I was about to leave our 
 room, there was a knock. It was Anita, with a
 
 270 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 letter for Lotta. I did not wait to learn its 
 contents, for I knew that I was expected in the 
 sick-chamber below. The coffee-urn stood on 
 the little table, and the Gazette lay close by. 
 Frau Roden sat at her son's side and held his 
 hand. 
 
 " Helena," she exclaimed, " he is growing 
 impatient ; hurry with the coffee ; it does not 
 taste right unless you pour it out." 
 
 We were soon sitting cosily around the little 
 table, and I took up the newspaper and began to 
 read. 
 
 " Some one is walking upstairs," interrupted 
 Fritz. 
 
 " It is Anita," I explained, and went on read- 
 ing. We forgot everything for a time, until Fritz 
 at last exclaimed : 
 
 " Heavens, it is growing dark ! Do not read 
 any more, Fraulein von Wcrthern ; you must 
 spare your eyes." 
 
 We talked a few moments over what we had 
 read, and then Frau Roden left the room. Fritz 
 talked on in his quiet way ; what he said was 
 clear and simple, like all that he did and was. 
 He was not a talkative man, but that evening he 
 seemed disposed to continue conversation, and 
 I listened with deep pleasure to his earnest 
 words. Suddenly he ceased speaking, for we
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 271 
 
 heard in the room above the sound of a piano. 
 It was Lotta, playing ; no one else played like 
 that. But how did she come to do so ? Clear 
 and sweet the notes floated down to us. It was 
 Chopin's wonderful funeral march, and right in 
 the midst of the piece she broke off abruptly 
 and ran into a mazurka. 
 
 " What does that mean ? " I said to myself, 
 and looked furtively at Fritz. He lay quite still, 
 and listened. 
 
 She played on and on, and the music sounded 
 brighter and merrier, as if she had at last awak- 
 ened from a long dream of pain. 
 
 " Fraulein von Werthern, ' said Fritz abruptly, 
 " I have read ' Ekkehard ' through without you. 
 Will you be angry with me ? " 
 
 " Not at all," I responded. 
 
 "And there is one passage, near the end of 
 the volume it is the most beautiful in the 
 whole book so simple, so moving and so true ; 
 or perhaps I think so, only because the passage 
 went home to my heart." 
 
 The music had come to an end as suddenly as 
 it had begun. I heard Lotta moving about over- 
 head, but I could not find courage to go up and 
 ask what the playing meant ; neither could I bring 
 myself to ask Fritz Roden what the passage in 
 " Ekkehard " was to which he had alluded,
 
 272 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 But he began, without waiting for me to answer 
 him. 
 
 " Do you know, Helena, that it is just a year 
 ago to-day that you came to Rotenberg ? Just 
 at this time of the day, too, you first crossed our 
 threshold. Have you thought of it to-day ? I 
 have not forgotten it. Did I not speak, that 
 night, of roses that should bloom for you and 
 yours in Rotenberg ? Do you remember it ? 
 And yet instead of roses came thorns ; instead 
 of happiness, came disaster, death, sickness, and 
 other things sadder still. It has been a painful 
 year for us all ; and yet I would not wish to 
 have escaped the wounds which it has brought 
 me. You cannot know, Helena, how delicious 
 it is to get well ; for one who has never been sick, 
 can never feel the joy of recovery. You think 
 it strange that I should speak in this way. I am 
 not of a poetic nature, but for some days past I 
 have felt as if spring had entered into my soul. 
 I have hard work to remain here on the sofa. 
 I would like to get out into the fresh air, to be 
 with my regiment, and follow the victorious 
 march of our troops. Yet I cannot move my 
 arm, and am, for the time being, a cripple. But 
 the longing is there. Now, then, have you no 
 word for me ? " 
 
 Ah Lotta ! He loved her still ; and the
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 273 
 
 spring which shone within him was her pro- 
 spective liberty. I felt again as I did on that 
 evening when he said to me : " Speak to your 
 sister for me." Poor fool that I was ! 
 
 " Did the piano playing disturb you ? " asked 
 Fran Roden, in an anxious voice, as she entered 
 the room at that moment. 
 
 " Not in the slightest," he replied. 
 
 " If it does, perhaps it would be better for you 
 to take your old room again ? " 
 
 He shook his head. " No ; it is so delightful 
 to be next to you let me remain here." 
 
 And as I rose and went out he called after 
 me : " I beg you not to tell the countess that 
 we can hear her playing so distinctly, for it 
 really does not disturb me at all." 
 
 When I went upstairs Lotta was standing at 
 the window ; she turned her head toward me as 
 I catered, saying : 
 
 " I have a letter from the lord chamberlain. 
 They are so enormously gracious that they are 
 willing to allow me time for reflection as to 
 whether I will accept or refuse the pension ; the 
 money is at my command any moment. The 
 present heir apparent has himself determined 
 the amount. Until the expiration of this period 
 of probation, I am to remain here in Rotenberg. 
 Everything else in respect to the divorce will be
 
 274 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 arranged without difficulty. The worthy man 
 gives me the paternal advice to regard myself as 
 the prince's widow, and the so-called alimony as 
 his legacy. Very kind of him." 
 
 She was speaking in her old, scornful tone. 
 
 " Lotta," I said firmly, " you cannot remain 
 for weeks in this house ! " 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " And you must have money to rent a respect- 
 able lodging, until you can get your affairs in 
 order." 
 
 " I have nothing, for I will accept nothing 
 from yonder," and she made a gesture toward 
 the castle. " Moreover, we must have some of 
 grandmother's money yet," she added. 
 
 " Grandmother's money ? " I cried ; " you 
 know that we sold her earrings, to pay back to 
 the Rodens the sum which you borrowed for 
 Hans." 
 
 " Then I don't know what we can do," she 
 declared, and turned again to the window. " Do 
 as you please." 
 
 " I will speak with Frau Roden, Lotta." 
 
 " Pray do," she answered indifferently. 
 
 The following day was Sunday. The doctor 
 had given Fritz permission to leave his room on 
 that day, and take his first meal with us. Frau 
 Roden walked around the table in quiet bliss,
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 275 
 
 now straightening the table-cloth, now filling the 
 vases with flowers, now looking at the champagne 
 glasses, to see if they shone properly. The doc- 
 tor had declared the sparkling beverage espe- 
 cially good for convalescents. 
 
 The sun shone clear and bright. It was a 
 glorious Sunday morning. When all was done, 
 the old lady seated herself in her easy-chair, by 
 the window, to watch the worshippers come home 
 from church. I drew my chair to her side, and 
 began to talk to her of Lotta. 
 
 " What do you want to do, child ?" she asked. 
 
 I explained to her that Lotta could not leave 
 Rotenberg until the divorce was consummated, 
 and that she on no account would remain in 
 this house ; and so I was thinking if it would 
 not be possible for Lotta and me to take our 
 old lodgings again, and for me to give piano 
 lessons. 
 
 " What do you want to move for ? Why can 
 she not go alone ? And why should you give 
 music lessons ? " asked the old lady. 
 
 " I cannot let Lotta go alone, in her present 
 temper." 
 
 " Let her take Anita with her. Do you intend 
 to be a Cinderella all your life for her ? " 
 
 " Lotta is too proud to accept anything from 
 the prince."
 
 276 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Too proud," said the old lady fretfully, 
 4< she is his lawful wife ; and although this mar- 
 riage should be dissolved from considerations of 
 political necessity, nevertheless it is his duty to 
 secure to the woman an independence, and that 
 will be done. I know the duke well enough to 
 be sure that he will do what is right, though the 
 alliance had been a hundred times more dis- 
 tasteful to him than it was. Too proud, did you 
 say ? Ugh ! " 
 
 I was utterly confused ; the gentle old lady 
 had never spoken so bitterly before ; but I was 
 relieved from the necessity of answering, for just 
 at that moment the door opened noiselessly, and 
 Fritz entered the room. 
 
 His mother flew from her seat to meet him. 
 " God be praised, my boy ! " said she, as she 
 reached up to kiss him. 
 
 " God be praised, indeed ! " he replied, look- 
 ing with evident delight around the pleasant and 
 sunny room. He seated himself in the chair 
 which his mother had just vacated, and while 
 she stood by his side, lovingly smoothing his hair, 
 he turned to me and said : 
 
 " I hear that you want to move, Friiulein von 
 Werthern. That I would never permit. Please 
 say to your sister, in my name, that the room up- 
 stairs is at her disposal as long as she has need of
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 277 
 
 it. To us it will be a pleasant duty to afford her 
 this asylum." 
 
 Frau Roden turned pale, and stared at her 
 son in speechless anxiety. He did not appear to 
 notice her distress ; but taking her hand in his, he 
 asked : 
 
 " We were always cordial, hospitable people, 
 were we not, mother dear ? and we shall always 
 be so, shall we not, mother ? " he added, with 
 somewhat greater emphasis. 
 
 "You are the master of the house," she 
 replied apathetically, and, turning away, pre- 
 tended to occupy herself with dusting the yellow 
 hat of a china shepherdess which stood on a 
 cabinet behind her, but I saw that her hand 
 trembled. 
 
 " Are you agreed ? " he asked of me, smiling 
 as he spoke. 
 
 " I have nothing to say. I think Lotta is the 
 one to decide." 
 
 "Certainly," he rejoined quietly; "ask your 
 sister." 
 
 I let him send- me away like a child, and went 
 upstairs to Lotta. She was standing before the 
 mirror fastening a brooch in her dress, and had 
 just completed her toilet. It seemed to me she 
 looked more beautiful than ever, in the simple 
 black mourning gown which she had worn for
 
 278 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 our father, and which I had never seen on her 
 since she had become the Countess Kaltensee, 
 until now. 
 
 Her apparent insensibility to her situation 
 angered me. I sat down at the window without 
 saying a word, while she added the finishing 
 touches to her toilet, before the looking-glass. 
 
 "What makes you so quiet, Helena?" she 
 began, at last, without taking her eyes from the 
 mirror. " Have you been speaking with Frau 
 Roden ? " 
 
 "Yes, just now," I answered with difficulty. 
 
 " Well ? " 
 
 " Fritz Roden sends his respects, and places 
 this room at your disposal, as long as you are 
 pleased to occupy it." 
 
 She looked at me, then, and under her long, 
 dark lashes I saw the flash of a strange fire ; but 
 she made no immediate answer. She finished 
 her toilet deliberately, took a few turns up and 
 down the room, and stopping directly in front of 
 me, said : 
 
 " I will gratefully accept his.kindness." 
 
 Then, with a passing glance at the mirror, she 
 gathered up her train and left the room, and I 
 heard her slowly descending the stairs. 
 
 A feeling of terror and despair overcame me. 
 I hurried into my own room, and threw myself
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. '279 
 
 on my knees by my bed, and sobbed like a 
 child. 
 
 " Why, Helena, what is the matter with you ? " 
 said a gentle voice at my side, and Frau Roden 
 bent over me, with her hand on my shoulder, 
 peering anxiously into my tear-stained face. I 
 saw by her eyes that she had been weeping, also 
 and I knew why ; but nevertheless I gave an 
 evasive answer in reply : 
 
 " I was thinking of Hans, and of our future," 
 I said. 
 
 She smiled, as if to say, " I will believe it." 
 
 "Come downstairs, child," was all she said, 
 " and let no traces of tears be visible in ,your 
 face." 
 
 And, as I hastened to cool my burning eyes 
 with cold water, she continued : 
 
 " I was still standing by the cabinet, when the 
 door opened and Charlotte entered. Child, my 
 heart stood still, and I watched his countenance, 
 to see how he would bear this meeting. He rose 
 and bowed, and declared his gratification to see 
 her again in such good health ; he looked down 
 at her as composedly as if they had only parted 
 the day before. He has wonderful command of 
 himself, but I have no doubt he controlled himself 
 for my sake." She sighed heavily. " He is of 
 age," she continued, " and all experience teaches
 
 280 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 that contradiction and difficulty only intensify 
 the heat of passion. I can only fold my hands 
 and look on, while I silently pray that God may 
 show him the right way." 
 
 Meanwhile, Lotta and Fritz Roden were sit- 
 ting together in the dining-room ; he was telling 
 her of St. Privat, and she was playing with the 
 white aster which she had taken from the bowl 
 of flowers on the table. The servant had just 
 brought in the soup, and we gathered around the 
 table. Fritz, as usual, said grace, but I did the 
 honors. I had assumed this office while he was 
 in the army, and his arm was not yet well enough 
 to permit him to supersede me. 
 
 It was a painful meal, however ; we ate our soup 
 in silence ; then Fritz took up the bottle of claret, 
 and after awkwardly filling his glasses with his 
 left hand, he said, with forced gayety : 
 
 " A true German cannot abide a Frenchman, 
 but he loves to drink his wine. Let us drink 
 to the health of our troops in the field ; with 
 gratitude to them for the valor with which they 
 have protected hearth and home from foreign 
 foes and war's alarms, and secured to us such 
 hours of peace as we enjoy to-day." 
 
 Lotta responded at once to his effort to revive 
 our spirits : 
 
 " I have often heard grandmother tell how
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 281 
 
 terrible war is. Her memory of the year 1813 
 was as fresh as if it were but yesterday." 
 
 "Yes ; the old lady loved to speak of those 
 days," replied Fritz ; " would that she could have 
 lived to see Sedan ! " 
 
 " Indeed she died too early," continued Lotta, 
 in the same vein ; " had she lived, many things 
 would now be different." 
 
 She sighed, and looked sadly and dreamily out 
 of the window. 
 
 She seemed to make the sudden death of our 
 grandmother responsible for her ill-considered 
 marriage. Poor grandmother, who died of grief 
 over her conduct. I blushed for her. 
 
 On the lips of Fritz Roden played a faint 
 smile. His mother, however, remarked coolly : 
 
 " Such remarks are often made after the event. 
 My dear old friend was a weary, broken-hearted 
 woman ; she had no power to hinder what was 
 already settled. Or have I not understood you 
 correctly, my lady ? " 
 
 Lotta made no answer. There was a moment 
 of uncomfortable silence, but Fritz relieved our 
 embarrassment by promptly changing the subject. 
 
 " Fraulein von Werthern, give me another 
 ladle of soup, please ; it is the convalescent's hun- 
 ger, you know ; don't forget what I told you 
 yesterday."
 
 ^82 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 Yes, I remembered what he had said ; that he 
 was well in body and soul, and that the joy of 
 spring-time was in his heart. 
 
 Lotta and he fell to talking about the cam- 
 paign again, and Frau Roden gradually took part 
 in the conversation. She did not wish to let 
 Fritz perceive her apprehensions. 
 
 After dinner, Lotta and I retired to our rooms ; 
 she tripped upstairs with a light, elastic step, 
 which contrasted singularly with the slow move- 
 ment of her descent an hour before. 
 
 " He looks remarkably well," she observed, 
 throwing herself on the sofa, and covering herself 
 with a shawl ; " not so red and robust but he has 
 acquired something of the cavalier. It is a new 
 trait, an effect of his life as a soldier. I, at least, 
 never remarked the quality in him before." 
 
 " You never have understood him," I retorted 
 bitterly. 
 
 " That may be. I never gave myself the 
 trouble," she replied, and buried herself in her 
 book. 
 
 I took my cloak and hat, and went out for a 
 walk. I chose a lonely path through the woods. 
 The dry leaves crackled under my feet, the cool 
 autumn wind played around my brow, the trees 
 and bushes stood sad and bare. As I wandered 
 aimlessly on I sat in judgment upon myself, and
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 283 
 
 began to scrutinize my thoughts and feelings. I 
 told myself that I had been selfish, and altogether 
 wanting in womanly pride. What right had I to 
 weep, when in the man's soul the wounds from 
 which he had sorely suffered began to heal, 
 when the old hopes bloomed again ? I became 
 bitterly ashamed of the tears which I had shed 
 in the morning ; and when, in comfortable self- 
 exculpation, I said to myself : " Lotta certainly 
 does not love him, and he will be unhappy with 
 her," I was equally prompt with the answer : 
 " Nothing in heaven or earth can alter a love 
 like Fritz Roden's, which is the expression of his 
 inmost being, steadfast, enduring, true. Ah, 
 Helena ! you will remain as you always have 
 been, ' her sister,' and you will not become bit- 
 ter or unjust ; but you must become proud, very 
 proud." But, alas ! this pride gives us at times 
 unbearable pain ; 'tis but the mantle which cloaks 
 the wound from the eyes of the world ; but the 
 mantle presses and inflames the wound, and the 
 heart rises in revolt when the lips wear a smile, 
 and the whole soul grows ill and miserable. And 
 I thought of the hours which I had passed at 
 his bedside, chatting and reading ; thought of 
 the words of his mother, which, in her tender- 
 ness for me, she had let fall ; and all the foolish 
 thoughts came back ; and I saw his eyes, as they
 
 284 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 followed me about the sick-chamber, $o strangely 
 and so constantly. I felt that my pride was slip- 
 ping from me again. I turned to retrace my 
 steps through the dreary woods, over which the 
 shadows of the mountains had already fallen. 
 In the distance before me lay the landscape in 
 the full light of the setting sun, and I saw it 
 glisten between the trunks of the lofty beeches, 
 and an eager longing to escape took possession 
 of my soul ; anywhere, anywhere, so that it be a 
 spot where I was not known, where I might throw 
 aside the mask it was crushing me to wear ; but 
 I said to myself, patience ; the way of escape will 
 open in due time. 
 
 As I entered the house it was already dusk, 
 and I heard the sound of Lotta's playing. There 
 was no one in the hall, but the door of Fritz's 
 room was ajar, and through the opening came a 
 faint ray of light. He is listening to her music, 
 I thought. I was walking softly toward the 
 stairs when the door was thrown open quickly, 
 and Fritz's voice said impatiently : 
 
 " Where have you been so long, Helena ? " 
 
 " In the woods," I rejoined. 
 
 " What nonsense for you to go about alone in 
 the woods." 
 
 I laughed. " I have always gone alone up to 
 this time."
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 285 
 
 " But you must not do it," he cried vehe- 
 mently ; " you are too young to be tramping 
 about in that manner." 
 
 "I too young!" I cried, half amused and 
 half incensed. I, who had thought myself so old. 
 I seemed never to have had any youth ; and no 
 one had ever before objected to my going about 
 alone. 
 
 " Yes, you," he replied, coming out into the 
 hall; "mother has been anxious about you ; do 
 you know that ? " 
 
 There was a tone of irritation in his voice. 
 
 " I am very sorry if that is so, but my lonely 
 walk has done me a world of good." 
 
 " Little woman," cried a voice from within, 
 " none but headstrong girls, or women in love, 
 take lonely walks." 
 
 It was the doctor, who had come in to have 
 half an hour's chat with his godchild. 
 
 "Your diagnosis is wrong, doctor," I an- 
 swered merrily ; " I am neither obstinate nor 
 love-sick ; " and I passed up the stairs with a 
 steady tread. I felt that my face was flaming 
 red, but the darkness concealed my heightened 
 color. 
 
 Mamsell put her head out of the door as I 
 passed. " Oh, but the master was angry when 
 you could not be found, Fraulein von Werthern ;
 
 286 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 his paper lay on the table unread, and the coffee 
 was waiting." 
 
 Yes, sure enough his paper ! 
 
 " Back again ? " said Lotta, and continued 
 her playing. 
 
 I sat down quietly at the sewing-table, and 
 tried to think how I should set about being 
 proud. I had a humiliating sense of defeat, 
 before I had fairly begun the struggle. What 
 a curious whim it was in Fritz that he should 
 suddenly show so much concern about my move- 
 ments. 
 
 The days brought little change to our peace 
 ful household. Lotta played the piano, and I 
 bandaged Fritz's arm, and read him his paper, 
 just as usual. We all ate together, and 'twas 
 only natural that Lotta should gradually come 
 more frequently to the general sitting-room ; for 
 why should she sit upstairs alone ? She was 
 more reserved than formerly, but she looked 
 lovelier than ever, with her beautiful hair in a 
 simple coil at the back of her neck, and a little, 
 unpretentious white apron tied round her waist, 
 as, with gentle voice, she asked her hostess 
 whether she could not be of assistance in some 
 way. She appeared so broken and so remorse- 
 ful, but her changed manner made no impres- 
 sion upon the sceptical and apprehensive mother.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 287 
 
 Frau Roden had never treated Lotta with as 
 much courtesy and deference as during these 
 days. 
 
 One day, when the servant had served Frau 
 Roden with soup before any one else, the old 
 lady broke out impatiently : " Rieke, how often 
 have I told you that the countess must be served 
 first ? " and she took the plate, and placed it 
 before my sister with so much energy that resist- 
 ance was out of the question. 
 
 As the servant left the room Lotta expostu- 
 lated : 
 
 " My dear Frau Roden, I beg that y^u will 
 spare me from this dreadful title of countess ; 
 pray call me Lotta again." 
 
 " That, my dear countess, is a liberty I could 
 never permit myself to take ; I think we must 
 both sec that it is impossible." 
 
 Lotta turned pale, but said nothing, and Fritz 
 began talking as if he had not heard a syllable 
 of what had passed. 
 
 The holidays were approaching. Snow lay 
 on the mountains and on the fields. The Ger- 
 man army was moving on Paris from all sides, 
 and the iron girdle was tightening closer and 
 closer about the unhappy capital. Fortunately, 
 there was no one now, in whom we were inter- 
 ested, exposed to the ice and cold in the enemy's
 
 288 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 country. The son of the house was at home, 
 nursing his wound ; our Hans was sleeping in a 
 soldier's grave, on the field of St. Privat, and 
 Lotta's husband was never named ; whether she 
 still thought of him, and what she thought, I was 
 to learn later by accident. 
 
 Late one afternoon, just as the postman 
 handed me a letter, addressed to our hostess, 
 and marked with the stamp of our army in the 
 field, Anita came in and asked to speak to me. 
 
 1 led her into Frau Roden's chamber, for 
 Lotta was upstairs. 
 
 " Wait a moment, until I give Frau Roden 
 this letter," I said, and hurried into the sit- 
 ting-room, where mother and son were talking 
 together, in the gathering darkness. 
 
 "Who is it?" cried the old lady. "Oh, I 
 know the step it's our Helena." 
 
 " Yes, it is I, and I have a letter here for you, 
 a letter from the army." 
 
 " What in the world can ic be ? " she asked, 
 as she took the letter. " Helena, ring for Rieke, 
 to light the lamp. A letter from the army to 
 me ? Why, I don't know a soul at the front 
 except our David, and the chief forester's George. 
 From whom is it, Helena ? " 
 
 " I really do not know," I protested, and went 
 back to Anita.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Well, Anita, here I am. What do you 
 wish ? " 
 
 " Fraulein von Werthern," the girl began, 
 " Lord Chamberlain von Oerzen is here. I 
 believe he intends to call upon the countess 
 to-morrow. He is evidently in a very bad 
 humor, and asked how it happened that the 
 countess had not continued to occupy her 
 apartments in the castle. 
 
 " I said that she grew lonely and melancholy, 
 and wanted to be with her sister. Well, the long 
 and the short of it is, that they have heard at 
 Court what everybody is talking of here, namely, 
 that Herr Roden and the countess have been 
 reconciled, and that it is not at all impossible 
 that they may blot the royal marriage entirely 
 from their memory, and renew their old engage- 
 ment. The duchess, however, considers such 
 an arrangement quite dangerous, for the prince 
 is by no means delighted with his parents' ener- 
 getic interference with his dream of a love 
 marriage. 
 
 " In short, Fraulein von Werthern, as far as 
 I could make out from the questions which the 
 lord chamberlain put to me, the Court is deter- 
 mined, at any price, to dissuade the countess from 
 such a course ; for, if she should remain here, 
 and the prince thus have an opportunity of meet- 
 19
 
 290 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 ing her frequently, his future marriage would have 
 little prospect of happiness." 
 
 " My dear Anita," I said, " if the two young 
 people desire to marry, the duke will not be 
 able to prevent it ; but matters have not gone 
 so far as that, yet ; Fritz Roden is ill, and my 
 sister is not yet divorced." 
 
 " I only wanted to give you warning, Fraulein 
 von Werthern. It seems to me that I am paying 
 a debt to my own conscience, if I can serve the 
 countess in any way. You know that in the 
 spring it was I who carried to her all the prince's 
 letters." 
 
 "I knew that long ago," I replied bitterly. 
 
 "I am very sorry for it now," she said softly, 
 " but I had no option. You cannot know how 
 violent the prince's passion was, nor how skil- 
 fully the countess fanned the flame by her appa- 
 rent indifference." 
 
 " Regret can change nothing now, Anita." 
 
 She lingered a moment at the door, and then 
 went away, and I returned to the sitting-room. 
 
 At the first glance I saw that the army letter, 
 which lay on the table before Frau Roden, must 
 have contained something of special importance, 
 for the little woman was unusually agitated, and 
 looked up at me oddly over her spectacles with 
 an air of interrogation and reproof, as if she were
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 291 
 
 about to accuse me of some flagrant transgres- 
 sion. 
 
 Fritz had disappeared. 
 
 Not having the slightest conception of what 
 the letter contained, I said : 
 
 " No bad news, I hope ? " 
 
 " No, Helena, but unexpected news. You 
 might have given me your confidence, my child." 
 
 I was dumfounded. 
 
 " What is it all about ? " 
 
 " About you." 
 
 " About me ! " 
 
 " Yes ; here's a letter for you, enclosed in the 
 one for me. It contains an offer of marriage " 
 
 " For me ? " And I laughed more heartily than 
 I had done for many a day. 
 
 " But, child, there is nothing to laugh at, God 
 knows," said the old lady petulantly. 
 
 " But who in the world would send me an offer 
 of marriage ? It must be a mistake ; the writer 
 means Lotta." 
 
 " Not so fast, Helena. Sit down, please, and I'll 
 read to you the letter which was addressed to me." 
 
 I was curious to learn what the letter con- 
 tained, and took my seat obediently. 
 
 " It is signed ' Von Brenken, Captain of the 
 loth Regiment.' " As she pronounced the name, 
 she gave me a searching look.
 
 292 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " I know him," I replied hesitatingly; " he was 
 my father's adjutant, and came daily to our house. 
 Nevertheless, he must mean Lotta " 
 
 She interrupted me, and began to read : 
 
 " HONORED MADAME : 
 
 " You will doubtless be surprised that the stranger who 
 writes these lines should venture to address you with an 
 earnest request respecting what is to him a matter of 
 the gravest importance. Your kind assistance will place 
 him under the obligation of everlasting gratitude. 
 
 " You have, living with you, a daughter of my old conv 
 mander, Fraulein Helena von Werthern. I am, perhaps, 
 not in error when I assume that you, my dear madam, 
 have taken a mother's place toward the young lady. And, 
 therefore, I apply to you, in the first instance. I have 
 long loved Fraulein von Werthern ; her gracious presence, 
 and her gentle, kind manner, early inspired me with a sin- 
 cere passion ; and although up to this time I have kept 
 myself modestly in the background, and have given her 
 no word or indication of my affection, the reason was, 
 that I had nothing to offer her which would make her 
 future secure. 
 
 " Two weeks ago I received a captain's commission ; 
 I possess a small fortune, and need hesitate no longer to 
 ask Fraulein von Werthern to become my wife. You will 
 shake your head, perhaps, over my folly in dreaming of 
 love and wooing, amidst the turmoil of battle and the dan- 
 gers of war ; but here in camp, and facing the enemy, I 
 have felt more strongly than ever the longing to tell her 
 that I love her, and to know if she kindly remembers me. 
 So 1 send you the enclosed letter, with the request that 
 you place it in Fraulein von Werthern's hands."
 
 Tivo Daughters of One Race. 293 
 
 She ceased reading, and I could not find a 
 word for reply. It was a new and powerful sen- 
 sation for me to realize that some one loved me 
 and desired me. " Is it possible that any one 
 has taken notice of me ? " I murmured uncon- 
 sciously and half aloud. 
 
 Frau Roden arose and went into the next room. 
 
 I put out my hand eagerly for the letter. Yes, 
 there it was ; addressed in bold, manly charac- 
 ters, too : " Fraulein Helena von Werthern." 
 
 I took up the missive with a sensation of in- 
 comparable satisfaction. I had not the feeling 
 of triumph and joy which thrills a girl's soul 
 when she receives the homage of the man to 
 whom her heart belongs. My joy was of a dif- 
 ferent sort like that of a flower which has 
 blossomed unnoticed in the shade, and upon 
 which at last a stray sunbeam falls. I was so 
 grateful to the writer, whom I had seen a thou- 
 sand times, without the slightest suspicion of 
 what was going on in his heart. 
 
 The image of the tall, blue-eyed man rose 
 distinctly before my eyes ; silent, earnest, and 
 courteous, indefatigable in his endeavor to win 
 his commander's commendation ; and I remem- 
 bered now that there were tears in his eyes when 
 he pressed my hand by my father's open grave 
 And he loved me !
 
 .194 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 I stood a long time before I brought myself to 
 the point of breaking the seal, and then I read 
 his honest, loving words. 
 
 How was it possible ? 
 
 When I went upstairs Lotta had lit her lamp, 
 and was writing. 
 
 " Bless me, how you look ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 I told her with some difficulty what had hap- 
 pened, and showed her the letter. 
 
 " What ! Von Brenken ! You don't mean to 
 say so ? And that's the reason he loitered so eter- 
 nally in the corridor. Well, it's a great piece of 
 good fortune, and I congratulate you ; and now 
 that I think of it, you suit one another exactly." 
 
 At this remark my thoughts took another turn. 
 
 "I do not know him well enough," I replied, 
 " and besides, I do not love him." 
 
 " Now, for Heaven's sake don't begin that," 
 she cried. " It's a tremendous piece of good 
 fortune for you, Helena." 
 
 " I have my own peculiar notions about happi- 
 ness," I rejoined. 
 
 " Yes, I suppose you'd rather start a board- 
 ing-school, or rent furnished rooms at a summer 
 resort," she said impatiently. 
 
 " I'd rather do that than deceive an honest, 
 good man." 
 
 " What are you talking about ? " she asked
 
 Two Daughters of One Race, 295 
 
 " How do you mean deceive him ? Of course 
 you never thought of this lover who has fallen 
 from the clouds, and you cannot love him on 
 the spur of the moment. He loves you, and that 
 is enough." 
 
 " I cannot tell you all my reasons, Lotta ; but 
 I beg you to assume that they are sufficient, and 
 allow me to act without any importunities from 
 you." 
 
 She gave me a searching look, and said slowly : 
 
 " Is it possible that your heart is no longer 
 free ? " 
 
 And as the hot blood rushed tumultuously to 
 my face, she nodded her head with a long-drawn 
 " Ah ! is that it ? but think it over well, Helena, 
 ' a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' 
 Ask your worldly-wise patron downstairs, and 
 she will confirm what I tell you." 
 
 I made no answer, but got pen, ink, and paper, 
 and sat down to write a refusal. Of course I 
 could not tell him why I declined his offer, any 
 more than I could deceive his honest heart by 
 pretending to give him mine, in which there was 
 no place for him. 
 
 I wrote him kindly and graciously, and wished 
 him sincerely another and a truer happiness than 
 he could find with me. 
 
 At eight o'clock Lotta and I went down to
 
 296 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 tea. Fritz did not come to the table ; he did 
 not feel so well, his mother said, and he preferred 
 eating in his room. 
 
 " In January, Fritz is going to Wiesbaden," 
 she continued, " the doctor says he can go now, 
 for his wounds are fully healed. I should gladly 
 have accompanied him, but everything would 
 fall into confusion in my absence ; Rieke is deaf, 
 and the under-servants will not obey honest old 
 Miiller." 
 
 " Why, I will oversee things," I suggested. 
 
 " You ? " said the old lady. " No, no, Helena ; 
 girls in love make bad housekeepers." 
 
 I laughed so heartily that both women looked 
 at me in surprise. 
 
 " Dear Frau Roden," began Lotta, " now that 
 our conversation has touched upon this point, I 
 wish you would reason with Helena a little ; you 
 know our condition. Is it not foolishness for 
 her to scruple to accept this offer just because 
 she doesn't love the captain ? " 
 
 Frau Roden gave me a sudden look. " It's 
 an old proverb, countess," she said, " that words 
 are lost where a marriage is concerned ; that's a 
 matter for the two alone, and each must settle 
 the question with his own heart." 
 
 Lotta said nothing. I kept my eyes fixed on 
 my plate. If she only knew that my letter of
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 297 
 
 refusal was already on its way to France. What 
 has love to do with long deliberation ? Had i 
 reflected from morn till eve for one hundred 
 days, my decision would not have been differ- 
 ent. And because I was a poor girl, before 
 whose eyes the future lay dark and sombre, 
 should I give to an honest man a promise which 
 came from the head and not from the heart, and 
 walk by his side through life like a homesick 
 wanderer whose eyes turn ever toward the land 
 where the heart remains, and yet who may not 
 think of home for fear of sin ? No ; I was not 
 rational enough for that. The thought chilled 
 my blood. And why could I not go through 
 life alone ? It were better far than to be mar- 
 ried without love. 
 
 After supper, when Lotta had gone upstairs, 
 I took up fresh bandages, and knocked on Fritz 
 Roden's door. " The sister of mercy is here," I 
 cried lightly. 
 
 "Come in," he answered. 
 
 Frau Roden arose from her chair by her son's 
 side to make room for me, and then went out. 
 
 He looked at me so steadily and so search- 
 ingly as I stood before him, that I ;;rew red in 
 the face and cast down my eyes. 
 
 " And this news comes to us so unexpect- 
 edly," he said ; " did you know nothing of it ? J
 
 298 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 think mother was hurt by your want of confi- 
 dence in her." 
 
 I had to laugh in spite of myself. " She 
 couldn't be more astonished than I. Now let 
 me have your arm, please." 
 
 " And you are considering it seriously ? " he 
 said with an air of constraint. 
 
 " Considering it ! " I exclaimed indignantly. 
 " What is there to consider ? " I believed he 
 wanted to persuade me to accept, and my mood 
 changed from gayety to gloom. 
 
 I wound the bandage round his arm with 
 trembling fingers. 
 
 " But that you and Lotta, of all persons, 
 should give me this advice, makes me laugh," 
 I exclaimed abruptly. But I was not laughing ; 
 on the contrary, the tears stood in my eyes. 
 
 He sprang to his feet, and seized my hand. 
 "You're right," he said, "laugh heartily, but it 
 was not kind of you to remind me of the past." 
 
 " I did not mean to wound you," I stam- 
 mered. He had suddenly grown very pale. 
 " And I would not hurt you, either, God 
 knows ! " 
 
 We stood a moment side by side ; he held my 
 hand in his. 
 
 " I will beg your pardon, Helena," he whis- 
 pered, " if "
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 299 
 
 " No, no," I protested, for I suspected what 
 that ' if ' implied. 
 
 At this moment I heard the sound of Lotta's 
 piano, and involuntarily, as if in pain, I repeated 
 his own words, " Consider, Fritz, consider." 
 The stupid tears rolled down my cheeks, and 
 I could not wipe them away, for he held both 
 my hands, and he kept them fast. 
 
 " You dear, faithful counsellor," he said 
 warmly, but gave no other answer to my warn- 
 ing. He only sighed, and letting my hands fall, 
 seated himself at the table in silence. 
 
 Without a word I left the room. Yes, plainly 
 he loved Lotta still. My warning came too late, 
 and where was his pride ? " In love affairs," 
 my grandmother once said, " men have no 
 pride." She was right ; he had none ! And yet 
 how could a man take to his heart again the 
 woman who had once deceived him? 
 
 Moodily I sat down by the old lady, who, with 
 sorrowful countenance, was knitting by the even- 
 ing lamp. 
 
 " Have you been crying ? " she asked. 
 
 The question confused me ; for answer I 
 kissed her hand. 
 
 " Your head is full of this offer of marriage, 
 Helena." 
 
 " You may scold me and call me unreason-
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 able, dear Fran Roden. but I cannot marry Cap- 
 tain von Brenken," I declared firmly. 
 
 " Dear child," she said, " I will not scold you. 
 God be praised ! I feel as if some one were 
 trying to take from me an own daughter," and 
 she kissed me tenderly. " So the man fell in 
 love with your eyes and your sweet face. And 
 true enough, Helena, you are pretty. I always 
 knew it, but never saw it so plainly as I do to- 
 day. Singular that a perfect stranger should be 
 the first to make me realize it." And she kissed 
 me again and looked at me with glad and moth- 
 erly eyes ; and with it all I was so sad so sad. 
 Where was my pride ?
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE next morning the lord chamberlain sent 
 to ask when he might speak to her ladyship, the 
 countess. Lotta was sitting in our room at the 
 coffee-table, and gave the answer in person. 
 
 "At five o'clock in the evening." 
 
 Anita smiled, for she had just told us that 
 Herr von Oerzen intended to return by the four 
 o'clock train, because he was invited to dine 
 with her grace the duchess, in the evening. 
 I thought that Lotta had not heard what was 
 said, so I spoke up : 
 
 " No, Lotta, that will not do. Herr von 
 Oerzen has to " 
 
 " At five o'clock," she interrupted ; " I have a 
 headache, and am in no condition to sustain an 
 exciting interview. Toward evening my head- 
 ache generally gets better I know my constitu- 
 tion." 
 
 " But, Lotta, I can't be with you at that time, 
 because I have promised Frau Roden to go out 
 with her to make some purchases." 
 
 " But, my sweet child, I have not asked you 
 to be present at this conference."
 
 302 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Then it is all right," I said snappishly, some- 
 what irritated by her ironical tone. 
 
 Lotta drank her coffee coolly, dismissed Anita, 
 who still lingered at the door, and then went into 
 her bed-chamber. I heard her searching through 
 her wardrobe and bureaus ; then she came out 
 with her white cashmere tea-gown thrown over 
 her arm, from which she began to rip off the pale 
 blue ribbons. I did not exactly understand the 
 significance of her employment, and went down- 
 stairs to attend to some of the household duties, 
 which Frau Roden had gradually laid upon me. 
 I was busy about the house for several hours : 
 the old lady's bunch of keys hung at my girdle 
 as I went my rounds. Then came the cosey 
 afternoon tea, and the daily papers. 
 
 Frau Roden was cheerful and in an excellent 
 humor. She sat by Fritz and wrote a long list 
 of purchases for Christmas. 
 
 " Now, little Helena," said she, " put on a 
 brighter face, and don't cry about this affair with 
 the lord chamberlain. That will come about all 
 right." 
 
 But I could not master my depression. I was 
 about to ask her to let me stay with Lotta ; my 
 sister's nature was an enigma to me ; she seemed 
 so sure of victory she must be planning some- 
 thing. And I kept thinking continually that
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 303 
 
 while we were absent she would sit in the twi- 
 light with Fritz, talking and laughing gayly, and 
 then, and then I nearly cried with fear she 
 was so beautiful and so keen, and he loved her 
 so. 
 
 Lotta excused herself from the table on ac- 
 count of her headache. 1 knew, however, that 
 she was lying on the sofa and nibbling bonbons. 
 Frau Roden, in all compassion, was preparing to 
 hasten upstairs with eau de cologne and lemon- 
 peel, and with difficulty I persuaded her to relin- 
 quish her purpose. 
 
 "Oh, I see," she said, smiling. She had 
 learned to know what these headaches meant, 
 while Lotta was a bride. As I went up about 
 four o'clock to fetch my hat and cloak, prepara- 
 tory to going out, I found Lotta in my chamber 
 attired in a white cashmere robe, trimmed with 
 lace, and just about to place a lovely little cap 
 on her dark hair. I stood riveted to the thresh- 
 old. She looked so charming in this simple but 
 elegant costume, which suited her figure to per- 
 fection. But, notwithstanding, I felt my anxiety 
 increase. 
 
 " What is that for ? " I asked. 
 
 She blushed slightly, and took up her vinai- 
 grette. 
 
 " I thought you had gone out," she replied
 
 304 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 evasively, and swept by me like a fairy. And 
 nothing remained in the room save the heavy 
 odor of her sweet perfume. 
 
 She had gone into her own room, and I heard 
 her throw herself on the sofa, and I had no 
 doubt she had thrown the deep red silk cover 
 over the lamp-shade, for the blood-red rays of 
 light came through the half-closed doorway. I 
 could not bear to go in and look at her again, 
 and so I went directly down to the front door. 
 I found Frau Roden ready, and waiting in the 
 hallway. Rieke went before us with a lantern 
 and a large basket. 
 
 Under the chestnut trees we passed a gentle- 
 man, who was hastening toward the house. 
 
 " God have mercy on us ! What is Lotta 
 going to do ? " I said. 
 
 " Don't be so nervous, Helena," said the old 
 lady consolingly. " It will all come right." 
 
 Had she then no more apprehension, or had 
 she become reconciled to the fact that they 
 two 
 
 We went from one shop to another. I never 
 knew what we bought, and started as if awakened 
 from a dream whenever the old lady asked my 
 advice about anything. Ever before my eyes 
 stood the image of the graceful figure in the pure 
 white dress, with her fair young fice, her deep
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 305 
 
 and glowing eyes, and the warm red light stream- 
 ing over all. 
 
 " Yes, yes," I answered absently, to a question 
 from the old lady. 
 
 "Why, Helena, what is the matter with you ? 
 You look so pale," she asked. 
 
 " Go home at once, child," she continued ; " I 
 will finish what has to be done alone. Go, 
 Helena." 
 
 I obeyed her mechanically. A few moments 
 I stood before the shop windows collecting my 
 thoughts, and then I rushed forward through the 
 dimly lighted streets. As I neared the house I 
 saw how from Lotta's windows the warm, red 
 light streamed out upon me, through the bare 
 branches of the trees. Upon the curtain fell the 
 shadow of a man's form passing to and fro, 
 between it and the lamp. I looked up and said 
 to myself, "The lord chamberlain is still there." 
 
 But the sitting-room windows our windows 
 were dark. I wondered at that, for Fritz did not 
 love to sit in the twilight. His was not a nature 
 inclined to idle dreaming. 
 
 I entered the house, ascended the stairs, went 
 into my chamber, and flung off my mantle and 
 hat, when suddenly I stood as if transfixed. Plain 
 and clear, I heard Fritz Roden's voice in the 
 adjoining chamber.
 
 306 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " No, that I deny," said he. 
 
 He upstairs he with Lotta ! The door was 
 ajar. I wanted to go and close it. What was it 
 to me what these two said to each other ? But I 
 could not stir from the spot ; my limbs refused to 
 serve me. 
 
 And then there fell on my agonized ear a sim- 
 ple sentence, that was like balm t6 my troubled 
 heart ; so sweet it seemed to me as if I heard 
 from the open heavens a Christmas carol of the 
 angelic choir : 
 
 "I may venture to confide to you, my lady, that 
 I love your sister." 
 
 It seemed to me as if I must weep and laugh, 
 as if I must cry aloud, and there fell from my 
 heart the burden and pain of years. I closed 
 my eyes like one who is dazzled by the sudden 
 glory of the sun. 
 
 I heard his low tread on the carpet, as he kept 
 up his walk across the room. 
 
 Then Lotta laughed, 
 
 " Oh, so soon ! " said she. 
 
 " That is a question which you should not 
 ask," responded Fritz. 
 
 " So you want to give yourself the air of a 
 passionate character, do you ? You, of all men, 
 Fritz." And again she broke out into her clear, 
 ringing laugh, but this time there was a sound in
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 307 
 
 it which seemed like anger and disdain. Then 
 I heard the sweep of her train over the floor ,- she 
 stood just in front of the door, and her shadow 
 cut off the ray of red light which came in through 
 the cracks. 
 
 " Sir," she said sneeringly, " we are playing a 
 comedy here. We have the only roles. Do you 
 want to learn the substance of the piece in a few 
 words ? I am going to Dresden to-morrow, into 
 a sort of prison which the duchess has prepared 
 for me there, in order to get me away from here. 
 She is afraid that the prince may not be able to 
 forget me so quickly. I am honest enough to 
 confess that I go very unwillingly very unwill- 
 ingly. For that reason I wish to speak to you. 
 I should have remained here I should gladly 
 have picked up again and placed upon my 
 finger the golden ring which I once flung from 
 my hand. You see I am indeed honest. I say 
 gladly and do you wish to know for what 
 reason ? " 
 
 " Revenge, my lady," replied Fritz quietly. 
 
 "Yes, for revenge," she rejoined slowly. 
 " And you, Fritz Roden, you love me yet. You 
 love me as you did in those days when you sent 
 Helena to me to press your suit. And yet you 
 take your position before me, and with folded 
 arms and an air which could not be more indif-
 
 308 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 ferent if you were speaking to your foreman 
 you utter to me the prodigious falsehood that 
 you love my sister. And if I should ask you 
 ' Why ? ' then you, as an honest man, would 
 have to answer, ' For revenge, my lady, for 
 revenge ! ' ' And again she began to laugh. 
 
 " The reasons which move me are certainly of 
 no interest to you." 
 
 "That is true," she cried, "they are of no 
 interest to me. I am only sorry for the poor 
 little fool, for " 
 
 I heard no more. I sprang up and rushed 
 from the room and down the stairs. I stood a 
 moment in the hallway wrestling with my anger, 
 and knew not where to turn. Then I tore open 
 the door and dashed across the court-yard 
 toward the garden ; anywhere, so that nobody 
 saw me. 
 
 For revenge ! 
 
 It had begun to snow ; the great white flakes 
 cooled my burning face as they fell. I sat down 
 on the stone bench, under the linden tree. I sat 
 there a long time ; I was not cold ; I felt nothing, 
 and heard only the one word : 
 
 " For revenge ! " 
 
 The whirling snowflakes fell faster, and cov- 
 ered the garden with a loose, light mantle. My 
 senses swam. I could not think. At last I heard
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 309 
 
 some one call my name, and the voice sounded 
 strong and loud through the darkness. " Helena! 
 Helena ! " 
 
 Horrified, I sprang to my feet. I could not 
 meet him again that night, and I fled farther and 
 farther along the old and well-known path, and 
 deeper and deeper into the garden, till I stood 
 before the door of our former dwelling. I put 
 my hand in my pocket, and found the key, and 
 with trembling haste I unlocked the door and 
 ran upstairs to my grandmother's room, and 
 buried myself in her old arm-chair. 
 
 There, I fancied, I should be secure and un- 
 disturbed, and for that moment I wanted nothing 
 more. 
 
 The chamber was as still as death. In the 
 dim light reflected from the snow outside I was 
 soon able to distinguish the objects in the room ; 
 there stood the great, high bedstead, yonder the 
 writing-table ; and as I recognized these familiar 
 objects there rose before my soul with awful dis- 
 tinctness the picture of the past. I saw Lotta 
 standing there with Fritz, the tender, ardent 
 lover. 
 
 Does love then die so soon ? Oh, no, she was 
 right ; he loved her now as he did then. But he 
 had been wronged, and he was proud, and in his 
 own defence he had taken refuge behind the pre-
 
 3 TO Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 tence of a new affection. And so he had told 
 the beautiful woman who had thought to bring 
 him again to her feet : " I love another ; and this 
 other, since she is so conveniently at hand, is 
 your sister." 
 
 "The poor little fool ! " She would certainly 
 be unspeakably happy to receive this distinc- 
 tion, for had she not in a thousand ways already 
 betrayed that her heart was his alone ? 
 
 His man's pride was fully satisfied ; the beau- 
 tiful fiance"e of other days was humbled to the 
 earth, and there was plenty of time in the future 
 to determine what to do with the sister. He was 
 avenged. 
 
 I leaned my arms upon the cushions of the old 
 sofa, and began to reflect. I couldv not remain 
 here any longer, that was clear. I would not 
 go with Lotta ; the thought filled me with hon- 
 est indignation, and I clinched my hands in 
 defiant anger. I might go to Berlin to some 
 hospital. Yes, I would do that in the morning. 
 Then there fell into my brain, like a spark of fire, 
 the name Brenken. Yes, yes, I whispered, there 
 is an honest human heart. The words were 
 scarcely uttered when the hot blood rushed to 
 my face, and I felt myself overpowered by a 
 sense of shame. No, that can never be. There 
 was a strange singing in my ears. I felt my
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 311 
 
 temples throb against the cushions. Again the 
 feeling of dizziness came over me, and with 
 trembling hands I reached out to grasp the back 
 of a chair which stood near ; I seemed to be 
 sinking, sinking in a bottomless abyss. Once I 
 thought I heard my grandmother call my name, 
 and her voice seemed a long way off ; then the 
 ringing in my ears came back, and at last I 
 sprang up in terror, and looked toward the door. 
 I saw in the flickering light of a lantern a tall 
 form, and heard a voice say : " For God's sake, 
 Helena ! " and then I knew no more. 
 
 They told me afterward that Fritz and his 
 mother had found me lying unconscious in my 
 grandmother's chair, and when the old lady had 
 put me to bed, and the doctor had come, and 
 said that I should probably have a long illness, 
 that Lotta grew deadly pale and went to her 
 room without a word ; they had traced me to 
 my hiding-place by my footprints in the snow. 
 When the fever had left me, and I became once 
 more conscious, the light of a clear January day 
 shone in at the windows, and two kind old moth- 
 erly eyes were looking down upon me. With 
 difficulty I remembered where I was and what 
 had happened, and there was little in my recol- 
 lection to aid my recovery. 
 
 " Where's Lotta ? " I asked seriously.
 
 312 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " In Dresden, child," answered the old lady, 
 quietly; " she has' been there for several weeks." 
 
 " Alone ? " I stammered. 
 
 " No, no ; the duchess has provided for her 
 like a mother ; she is living with Frau von Mil- 
 lern, who used to be a maid of honor to her 
 grace." 
 
 I was silent. I was so tired and weak that I 
 sank again into half unconsciousness ; but I 
 heard the gentle movements of my kind watcher, 
 and knew that I was very ill, and had been so 
 for a long time ; and there seemed to me no 
 object in ever getting well. Soon the doctor 
 came in. 
 
 " Well, well ! " said he cheerily, " that's what 
 I call looking at life with new eyes. Now, just 
 eat a little something ; do as you're told, and 
 have no foolish thoughts, and we'll have you 
 well immediately ; and I think the little lady 
 will be careful after this not to sit on stone 
 benches under linden trees, in mid winter, as if it 
 were in May. Won't she ? " And the little old 
 man pressed my hand lightly and went into the 
 next room. 
 
 " You can start on your trip now, Fritz," I 
 heard him say. " She's getting on famously." 
 
 Thank God, he was going away, and before 
 he came back I should be well ; so well that I
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 313 
 
 could find my way alone, far, far out into the 
 world. 
 
 Then I fell asleep, and slept a long time. I 
 was awakened by whispering voices near me. 
 It seemed to me some one kissed my hand. 
 It was dark in the chamber, except for the little 
 circle of light which the lamp threw on the ceil- 
 ing. I could not tell whether it was evening or 
 morning. 
 
 " God be with you, my dear boy," I heard Frau 
 Roden say ; and then some one seemed to leave 
 the room, and I heard the trampling of horses, 
 and the noise of a rolling wagon in the court 
 beneath. 
 
 Fritz Roden had left the house. .He had 
 taken leave of me. I laid my cheek upon the 
 hand which he had kissed, and wept. 
 
 Now, indeed, we were parted forever. 
 
 My recovery progressed rapidly. There came 
 a day when I left my bed for an hour, and then 
 there came an hour when I was able to sit with 
 Frau Roden at the table ; and later at mid-day, 
 when the sun was bright, I was permitted to walk 
 a little in the garden ; and finally I was well 
 entirely well. 
 
 Nothing now restrained me from carrying out 
 my resolutions of going to Berlin, except a fool- 
 ish dread of the parting.
 
 314 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 One evening, as we sat together in the sitting- 
 room, I began with a heavy heart to unfold my 
 plan. 
 
 The old lady smiled. 
 
 " I have no authority to consent to your 
 departure," said she. 
 
 I was nervous and irritable, and my answer 
 sounded strange enough as I replied, excit- 
 edly : " I need no one's permission for my 
 actions." 
 
 She did not resent my words, but rather acted 
 as if she had not heard or understood them. 
 
 "You won't leave me while Fritz is away, 
 Helena ? It is not a very nice thing for me to 
 say to you, but then I know you will understand 
 me when I tell you that I really am a little ex- 
 hausted from anxiety and nursing, child. And 
 Fritz you know men have no judgment in such 
 things would not hear of any one's touching 
 you except me." 
 
 As she spoke she leaned over me so that I 
 was compelled to look straight into her eyes. 
 
 "Very well then," I stammered, "until he 
 comes back. But tell me honestly when he will 
 return." 
 
 She still acted as if she did not understand. 
 
 " He used to like to surprise me by an unex- 
 pected return. But, Helena, what do you mean ?
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 31$ 
 
 Are you afraid of Fritz ? What has he done to 
 you ? " 
 
 ' I cannot tell you," I answered, " if he has 
 not done so." 
 
 "I don't know anything about it," continued 
 the old Frau. " The strangest thing to me was 
 Lotta's departure. Of course you saw nothing 
 of it. The trunks were packed in haste the 
 afternoon you fell ill. There was such a noise 
 and confusion upstairs that we put a bed for you 
 down here. Fritz was moved back forthwith 
 into his old room. In the meanwhile you lay on 
 the sofa in the sitting-room and jabbered all 
 manner of senseless stuff. Our house was sud- 
 denly filled with people that had no business 
 there. The doctor sat by your side and shook 
 his head. The lord chamberlain was upstairs. 
 Lotta had him called back in great haste, and 
 Rieke caught him just as he was about to enter 
 the train. Anita ran up and downstairs with 
 boxes and packages, and I stood in the midst 
 of it all, and had not the slightest conception 
 of what the whole confusion was about. Fritz 
 was silent as the grave, and what you were saying 
 had no sense in it. 
 
 " The next morning, at nine o'clock, Lotta 
 came downstairs, attired in a satin mantle, 
 trimmed with fur, and took leave of you. She
 
 316 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 seemed to be in a great hurry ; the ducal car- 
 riage was waiting outside. Fritz accompanied 
 her to the carriage, where the Lord Chamberlain 
 von Oerzen was standing, with his hat in his 
 hand, as if Lotta were the duchess herself. 
 
 " ' Write to me if Helena should get worse,' she 
 called to Fritz, as the carriage started. Fritz 
 replied with the deepest bow he ever made in 
 his life. Then the horses struck into a trot and 
 she was gone. 
 
 " When Fritz came into the house again, I 
 seized him by the lapel of his coat and said to 
 him, 'Now you will tell me what has hap- 
 pened ? ' 
 
 "'When she is better, mother,' he said eva- 
 sively ; ' let me alone now, and go to her.' 
 
 " That is all I know," said the old lady in con- 
 clusion. 
 
 " And has Lotta not written ? " 
 
 " No, only a few cards with inquiries about 
 your condition. The worst time with you was 
 about Christmas. But now it is all over, thank 
 God. And in the field we have had victory after 
 victory. We have a German emperor, now. And 
 our Fritz I don't mean the Prussian Crown- 
 Prince, but our own Fritz, Helena, has the iron 
 cross ; it came on Christmas Eve." 
 
 " Our Fritz ! " I shook my head and rose to
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 317 
 
 my feet. She certainly knew nothing. But I 
 stayed. 
 
 Whenever a letter came from Wiesbaden, I 
 repeated my question : " When will he be home ? " 
 " It is not yet settled," was the invariable answer. 
 The early spring came in softly, and, as the first 
 snow-bells bloomed in the garden, came the news 
 of peace. The camp-fires were covered up. 
 The emperor left Versailles and returned to Ber- 
 lin. Never has a spring more glorious risen 
 over Germany. What a time of joy and exulta- 
 tion ! 
 
 " When he comes home." 
 
 That was a phrase we heard a thousand times 
 in those days. "When he comes home." 
 
 It was the seventh of March. As I went 
 through the kitchen I heard Rieke say : 
 
 " When he comes home we will go together to 
 our parents, and in the summer we will be mar- 
 ried. And, girls, every one of you shall come to 
 the wedding." 
 
 I turned around and looked into the girl's red 
 face, which fairly beamed with its joyous antici- 
 pation. The servants all looked especially happy 
 that day. 
 
 Just as J was entering the sitting-room I met 
 Frau Roden, who was coming out of her son's 
 chamber with her duster in her hand.
 
 3i 8 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " If we don't clean up now and then," she 
 said, " the dust ruins everything." Then she 
 walked to the hall door and shook out her cloth 
 energetically. 
 
 Out of doors a flood of golden sunshine lit up 
 the landscape. It was a real spring day, so full 
 of promise and of joy. One of those days which 
 soften the heart and strengthen faith in all that 
 is good and glorious. 
 
 " Would you not like to take a run through 
 the garden, Helena ? I shall be greatly surprised 
 if you do not find some early violets." 
 
 I was standing beside her as she spoke, and 
 was looking out into the yard. 
 
 " Where is the carriage going ? " I asked, for 
 I saw that the coachman was harnessing the 
 horses to the landau. 
 
 " To the wheelwright," responded Frau Ro- 
 den ; " the right not the left front wheel is 
 injured." 
 
 " Is he putting on livery to go to the wheel- 
 wright's?" 
 
 " But, child, do you think he would sit on the 
 box in his stable-jacket ? You do not know 
 Jurgen." 
 
 I looked at her inquisitively, but she gazed 
 innocently up to the blue heaven on which a few 
 fleecy white clouds were floating.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 319 
 
 "Ah, this is a delightful day," she said enrap- 
 tured. 
 
 After a little while she continued : " I can't 
 but think of those who have no joy on this 
 spring, because their loved ones will never more 
 come home. Helena, if we were standing here 
 and looking over the court-yard, knowing that 
 he would never come in through the gate again, 
 and that I should never again hear the sound 
 of his voice, I do not believe I could bear to 
 look at the blue heaven and see the bright sun- 
 shine." 
 
 As she spoke it seemed to me that the sun 
 did grow paler, and the blue of the heavens 
 above took on a sombre hue. 
 
 "It would be horrible," I murmured ; but in 
 my heart I felt the bitter sarcasm, " what is it to 
 you ? " 
 
 Suddenly it occurred to me that I was carry- 
 ing in my pocket a letter from Lotta, which I 
 had not yet had the courage to open. I went 
 quickly to my room and broke the seal. 
 
 " Dear Helena : " she wrote : 
 
 "From day to day I watch for the announcement of 
 your betrothal. What is the matter? I am not mis- 
 taken ; Fritz told me once he loved you, and I am curious 
 to know if he has been brave enough to ask you " 
 
 I crushed the paper in my hand, I could not
 
 320 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 read farther. Oh, if I were only away from 
 here. I was singularly restless that day. It 
 seemed to me there was an unusual stir in the 
 house. I ran through all the rooms and searched 
 for a confirmation of my suspicions, but could 
 see nothing. 
 
 It will be best for me to make my prepara- 
 tions soon, I thought, as I went downstairs to 
 look for my trunk. I wanted to see if it was all 
 right, and ready for travelling. But I could not 
 find it. Perhaps Lotta has taken it, I said to 
 myself. Sure enough, Lotta ; with her name 
 came the recollection of her letter. 1 deter- 
 mined to finish reading it, and sat down on an 
 old chest and began to read : 
 
 " I am getting on famously. The pleasures of the city 
 have given me new life. I cannot understand how I 
 should ever have thought for a moment of staying in that 
 wretched Rotenberg. My ci dcrant husband has secured 
 for me a much more considerable pension than his eco- 
 nomic mamma had intended. Herr von Oerzen gave me 
 this information. Unfortunately I can't invite you to 
 visit me because I am. after a fashion, a guest myself in 
 the house of Frau von Millern, although I pay my way. 
 Moreover, you would not enjoy the life we live here. 
 Your quiet farm and two blue eyes are enough for you." 
 
 I read no further. I could have cried with 
 anger, but no tears came to my relief ; the house 
 was still as death. The sun shone in through
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 321 
 
 the dormer window, and a thousand motes 
 danced in its beams. As I sat there I heard 
 the noise of wheels in the court below and the 
 merry cracking of the coachman's whip, and a 
 man's voice that I knew well. My heart stood 
 still with fright and shame. He had come 
 home ! 
 
 Soon I heard him calling " Helena ! Helena ! " 
 but I never stirred. A thought flashed through 
 my mind nobody will look for me here, and 
 when night comes I can steal away unobserved. 
 How and whither ? I neither knew nor cared. 
 Only that I might escape him, I the poor little 
 fool " her sister." 
 
 I heard them hunting and searching. I was 
 glad to know myself secure, but yet at heart I 
 felt a strange misgiving. The voices now passed 
 into the court-yard and garden, and I could tell 
 that the searchers were anxious and excited. 
 
 Then I heard Fritz shouting, " Jurgen, put 
 the bays in the hunting-wagon at once." I 
 sprang to my feet, but still I could not go down. 
 I began to feel ashamed of myself. Was it 
 not, after all, a childish prank to hide myself ? 
 Ought I to let him see that I feared to meet 
 him ? Where was my pride ? So I went down- 
 stairs with heavy feet and a feeling of impotent 
 weakness. All was still now on the lower floor, 
 
 21
 
 322 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 but from the court-yard came the sound of the 
 tramping of horses. With trembling hands I 
 opened the door of Frau Roden's chamber, and 
 entered. I heard a measured tread in the next 
 room pacing to and fro, and the soothing voice 
 of the old lady saying, " Now, Fritz, do be calm ; 
 you'll certainly find her at the station." 
 
 "God grant it," he said bitterly. "I do not 
 know what will become of me if she does not 
 come back." 
 
 " But Fritz 
 
 " Mother," he said in the greatest excitement, 
 "this house is nothing to me without Helena. 
 I can't live without her. You have lulled me 
 into security. You told me that she loved me, 
 and yet you have not understood how to keep 
 her safely. Oh, why did I go away without her 
 promise ? " 
 
 The old lady made no answer, as was her 
 wont, but quickly turned and entered her bed- 
 chamber. She gave me a surprised and reproach- 
 ful look when she saw me standing there, but 
 said not a word. In a moment she took my 
 listless hand and pressed it between both hers. 
 " I will send him to you here," she whis- 
 pered. 
 
 She turned to go, but I fell on her neck in 
 deadly fear.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 323 
 
 " No, no ! " I cried, " I could not bear it. If I 
 should be deceived ; if, after all, only to avenge 
 himself, he " 
 
 The sitting-room door closed with a bang. 
 Fritz had gone out. 
 
 The old lady quickly disengaged herself from 
 my embrace. 
 
 "At this moment he is starting to search for 
 you in fear and despair ; do you think that looks 
 like calculation or revenge ? Go to the window, 
 Helena. Do not let him go ; and tnen, when he 
 stands in your presence, and you look in his 
 troubled eyes, ask his pardon for having thought 
 the truest man in all the world a hypocrite." 
 
 She opened the door, and I followed her sub- 
 missively through the sitting-room to the window 
 which looked out into the court-yard. He had 
 just taken the reins from the coachman, when I 
 tapped loudly on the pane. I did not see him 
 spring from down the seat, for I had not the 
 courage to open my eyes ; but I heard his joyous 
 exclamation as he sprang into the house. The 
 door flew open, and an instant after I was folded 
 in his arms. 
 
 Where now were doubt and care and pain ? 
 Gone like the ice and snow. 
 
 The spring-time and sunshine of my life had 
 come.
 
 324 Two Daughters of One Race. 
 
 " Helena, you dear, dear girl, say yes ? " 
 
 " You love me her sister ? " 
 
 "No, not 'her sister,' but you yourself the 
 one, the only one. You must know it, Helena. 
 I have loved you long." 
 
 " Ah, I thought you could never forget Lot- 
 ta." 
 
 "Lotta?" he said, "Lotta? Why, Helena, 
 would I have invited her to remain in my house 
 had I not been fully armed against her power by 
 my affection for you ? How gladly I would have 
 told you how dear you were to me, had I not 
 feared in those days of sickness that I could not 
 bear it should you answer no. And so I tried 
 to tell it to you secretly ; that's why I marked 
 the passage in ' Ekkehard,' for I saw that you 
 were anxious about me, on account of the lovely 
 woman in the room above. But you would 
 not understand it. Oh, how proud you can 
 be, Helena ! " 
 
 " What was the passage ' " I asked. 
 
 "Blessed is the man who hath overcome," he 
 answered. " But to-day I say, thrice blessed is 
 the man who hath found." 
 
 Then I told him of the conversation between 
 him and Lotta, which I had accidentally over- 
 heard. 
 
 He smiled and shook his head.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 325 
 
 "If you had listened a little longer," said he, 
 " much would have been spared to you and me, 
 for then you would have heard my answer." 
 
 " What was your answer ?" I whispered. 
 
 " No, not for revenge, my lady ; revenge is the 
 weapon of a heart wounded unto death, and my 
 heart is healed long, long ago. And the heal- 
 ing was done by a pair of quiet, soft eyes, and a 
 dear, gentle girlish face. Now, do you want to 
 go away ? " he said, releasing me from his em- 
 brace, yet with the air of one who is sure of his 
 ground. 
 
 " Ah, Frtz ! " I murmured, " I should have 
 been wretched all my life." 
 
 Then he took me by the hand, and led me to 
 his mother. 
 
 " My dear children," washer simple and heart- 
 felt blessing. 
 
 Hark ! The bells are rir.ging, and their merry 
 tones sounding out acr -ss the happy land pro- 
 claim the glad tidings that peace reigns once 
 more in the Fatherland 
 
 In the village church and in the great cathe- 
 dral, by every flowing river, and from every hill 
 and valley, rises the solemn refrain : 
 
 To united Germany, peace ! God bless ou* 
 Kaiser, who enters Berlin to-day !
 
 326 Two Daughters of Ont Race, 
 
 How the flags waved in the warm summer 
 wind, and how the people rejoiced. 
 
 On the loth of May peace was signed at Frank- 
 fort, and to-day, on the evening of June 16, 
 Rotenberg gives a banquet in the city hall to her 
 victorious sons. 
 
 Fritz Roden could not be present ; he had 
 led me on that day to the altar, and the old pas- 
 tor had said that indeed was a fitting marriage 
 day the day of the festival of peace. And may 
 peace dwell forever in our hearts peace between 
 us from this day on until death shall part us. 
 
 Only a few guests sat at our wedding supper, 
 "but all went merry as a marriage bell." And 
 when Frau Roden gave me the bundle of keys, 
 how proudly and yet how timidly I took the 
 emblem of my new dignity, and how tenderly I 
 kissed the dear old mother. 
 
 The windows were open, and strains of dis- 
 tant music floated in upon us with every breeze. 
 Lights were flaming in every window, triumphant 
 emblems of German might and unity. 
 
 Fritz and I stole away for a moment from 
 the merry company, and walked hand in hand 
 through the garden. We sat down under the 
 linden tree and spoke of all that had happened 
 since I came to Rotenberg, and how wonder- 
 fully it had all come about.
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 327 
 
 As we rose to go back to the house, we heard 
 revellers cheering in the town hall. 
 
 "Helena," said Fritz, "what word is so 
 blessed as the simple word peace ? May God 
 keep the Fatherland. May God keep our house 
 in perfect peace." 
 
 The years rolled round. The anniversary 
 of our wedding was always a gala-day with us. 
 On one anniversary we had an especial celebra- 
 tion. 
 
 Between mother and me sat a wonderfully 
 beautiful lady in rich toilet. When the glasses 
 clinked together, every one of my brave lads 
 wanted to drink a toast with their beautiful 
 Aunt Lotta. She had come to act as god- 
 mother to my only daughter. The christening 
 was to take place that evening. ' We had not 
 seen each other since she had gone away, and 
 long and often had I to beg ere she consented 
 to make us a visit. 
 
 She had married a second time, several years 
 before. Her husband, an Austrian Baron L., 
 was a member of the embassy to Italy, and they 
 had lived a long time in Rome. She nad no 
 children. Indeed she was a good deal disqui- 
 eted by the affectionate demonstrations of my 
 children.
 
 328 Two Daughters of One Race, 
 
 " When one is not accustomed to children " 
 she said apologetically. 
 
 Late in the evening, when all the guests had 
 retired, we stood together in the chamber which 
 nad been Lotta's, and which we had again pre- 
 pared for her reception. She looked about a 
 long time. 
 
 " There is not the slightest change in your 
 old nest, Helena downstairs and upstairs 
 every piece of furniture stands in the same old 
 spot." 
 
 " Only that now I am downstairs and mother 
 sleeps above ; formerly it was the other way, 
 vou know." 
 
 She stepped to the window and looked over 
 at the castle, whose white walls glistened in the 
 moonlight, through the young leaves of the 
 chestnut trees. I saw, as she stood there, a sad, 
 tired expression come over her fair face. I 
 threw my arm around her. " Oh, Lotta," I said, 
 " if I only knew one thing. Are you happy ? " 
 
 " Happy ? " she said, as she looked past me 
 into the night. " What is happiness, Helena ? 
 I have everything that is usually included under 
 the term : a husband who adores me when he 
 can spare the time from the turf, elegant sur- 
 roundings, society, theatre, dress, carriages, 
 travel if that is happiness? I am, I fear, not
 
 Two Daughters of One Race. 329 
 
 capable of feeling happiness. How is it with 
 you, Helena ? " 
 
 " Oh, Lotta, God be thanked, I am unspeak- 
 ably happy." 
 
 " One can see it in your face ; and in his, too," 
 she murmured. 
 
 As she drove away she kissed little Lottie ; 
 then turning to me, she whispered in a low tone : 
 
 " Peace is surely with you." 
 
 Fritz was standing by the carriage door, and 
 by his side stood my youngest boy, who held out 
 to his aunt a nosegay of the rarest and finest 
 roses in our garden. 
 
 " Father gives you this. Aunt Lotta," said the 
 dear little fellow, as he handed her the flowers. 
 
 She took the bouquet, and turning her face 
 away, she stepped into the carriage and drew 
 her veil over her streaming eyes. 
 
 " Farewell, Lotta," we cried. 
 
 Fritz and I stood arm in arm and waved her 
 an adieu as she went back to her restless, gay 
 life, with its deceptive glitter and splendor. 
 
 Then we turned to look at our children play- 
 ing in the shadows of a mighty German oak. 
 In our old-fashioned house dwell happiness and, 
 peace.
 
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