. 
 
 
 
 
A TENT OF 
 GRACE 
 
 BY ADELINA COHNFELDT LUST 
 
 BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 
 
 bc iiilicrsiDc press, Cambridge 
 1899 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY ADELINA COHNFELDT LUST 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTEK I 
 
 "Sin, have you any kid or goat skins to sell?" 
 
 It was early November, but already wintry and 
 cold along the beautiful Khine. Pastor Feldern, 
 digging up some belated geraniums in the trim 
 parsonage garden, half turned round to look at 
 the speaker through his silver-rimmed spectacles. 
 It was a young girl, probably about thirteen years 
 of age, with the angularity of hobbledehoyhood. 
 Her faded blue print gown, evidently outgrown 
 long ago, reached a little below her knees. She 
 wore the peasant's wooden shoes, and an old gray 
 shawl was pinned tightly under her chin. A long 
 crook stick with several small pelts dangling from 
 it swung over her right shoulder. 
 
 "If thou wilt go round to the kitchen door," 
 said the pastor, "Babbett will tell thee." 
 
 She passed him with a curtsy, swinging her 
 petticoats as she went. Yes, Babbett had some 
 skins. She had saved them for some time in the 
 old smoke-house. Now she went to bring them 
 out for the small merchant's inspection. 
 
 "H'm," said the girl, pouting her lips disdain- 
 
 442317 
 
.*. 2 -. .: : : : ; A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 fully,. ag slje .tufttpd over the skins the old peasant 
 .7. : J/: lwonJal};s.py^d'out on the graveled walk. But 
 there was a covetous gleam in the downcast eyes. 
 She slid the stick from her shoulders, the better 
 to inspect her wares. 
 
 "H'm, indeed," echoed Babbett wrathfully; 
 "look at them, wilt thou, before thou mak'st 
 h'm." 
 
 "It does not need a magnifying glass to see 
 they are worth next to nothing. How much wilt 
 thou take for them?" 
 
 "If they are worth nothing, I won't cheat thee 
 into buying them. Come, hand them back." 
 
 "Yes, take them and put them in brine, and 
 thyself with them. Mayst-thou wait for a pur- 
 chaser as long as thou hast waited for a sweet- 
 heart." 
 
 "Sweethearts thou mayst get in plenty, thou 
 Jewish jade. But none but the executioner will 
 ever marry thee." 
 
 "When he cuts off thy head for a foul-mouthed 
 old witch, I '11 dance at thy funeral in a pair of 
 brand-new clogs." 
 
 "Wilt thou go, or shall I give thee the other 
 end of the broom?" 
 
 "Well, for charity's sake and to relieve thee of 
 them, here 's two kreutzer apiece." 
 
 "Two what? Holy Father! Be off, I tell 
 thee; thou and thy Jewish impudence. Dost 
 think I never sold skins before?" 
 
 "Honestly now, are they worth more? Look 
 at this and that and there." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 3 
 
 "This, and that, and there? Thou hast wet 
 the palms of thy hands and crumpled them up 
 like parchment. They are as good and fine and 
 perfect skins as ever were sold between the Neckar 
 and the Rhine." 
 
 " Three kreutzer apiece, and this one thrown in. 
 Convince thyself if it is not damaged." 
 
 The old woman spluttered with wrath. " Three 
 pig's feet for a charm and their blood to sprinkle 
 in thy synagogue. Thou shalt not have them, 
 thou skinflint Jewess." 
 
 " Then keep them for a shroud, and mayst thou 
 need it quickly," retorted the girl, as she shoul- 
 dered her stick and made a great show to be off. 
 But the skins were in the tail of her eye, and she 
 carelessly jingled the kreutzers in her pocket. The 
 sound decided Babbett. She was as anxious to 
 sell as the other was to buy, and equally as anxious 
 to get the best of the bargain. " Six kreutzer 
 apiece and thou mayst have them," she said. 
 
 "Now if it were the price of thy friendship, 
 I 'd think it cheap and gladly give it thee. But 
 this is business. Therefore, two kreutzer apiece. 
 Here is the money. Take it, and do so quickly, 
 before I repent of the bargain." 
 
 " Thou child of Sodom and Gomorrah ! thou 
 saidst three kreutzer just now." 
 
 " Did I ? Oh, very well. Here are thy three 
 kreutzer, and this skin thou must throw in." 
 
 " Throw thyself into the Rhine ! Now thou 
 shalt not have them at all. I '11 sooner make a 
 present of them to Schmul, who '11 soon be passing 
 this way." 
 
4 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Alas, poor Schmul!" said the girl, in a tone 
 of deep commiseration ; " thou hast not heard, 
 then, what has happened to him ? " 
 
 Babbett dropped the skins, which she had gath- 
 ered up in great anger. She was instantly de- 
 voured by curiosity. 
 
 " What has happened to him, then ? Do open 
 thy mouth and speak." 
 
 " He has broken his leg." 
 
 Babbett 's jaws parted in a wide gasp as she 
 squatted down on her skins. 
 
 " Broken ! the poor child ! and he has nei- 
 ther father nor mother." 
 
 "Well, for that matter, neither have I. Gently, 
 Babbett; let me draw forth the pelts." 
 
 "When did it happen? How did he come to 
 do it? Yes, yes, here they are." 
 
 "And none the better for thy pressing. Listen 
 thou, can I have them ? " 
 
 "For three kreutzer? No. But go on; tell 
 me how it all came about." 
 
 "He was trying to leap a fence, you under- 
 stand, this skin surely is somewhat damaged." 
 
 "Nothing is damaged but thy imagination. Go 
 on, then, do. How long wilt thou keep me in 
 suspense?" 
 
 " He was leaping a fence, when his boot caught 
 on a big rusty nail, three kreutzer and this one 
 thrown in. Take it, or leave it. My time has 
 been wasted too long already." 
 
 " Four kreutzer and nothing thrown in ! What ! 
 Thou wilt rob me like this, thou arch jade ? Here, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 5 
 
 then, take them. Now wilt thou at last tell me 
 about Schmul?" 
 
 "Thanks, nicely, thou dear Babbett. One, 
 two, three, four, five, six," she slung the pelts 
 on her stick as she counted; "here, take thy ten 
 kreutzer; my blessing shall surely bring thee a 
 rich percentage. Five skins at two kreutzer 
 apiece and one thrown in. Auf Wiedersehen." 
 
 "Come back, this instant! Three, kreutzer 
 apiece, thou saidst, three kreutzer. Thou for- 
 sworn Jewess, dost take me for a fool? And 
 Schmul, what of him, poor boy?" 
 
 "Schmul?" asked the girl, with an indescrib- 
 ably droll air of astonishment, as she shouldered 
 her stick and carefully edged further away from 
 the old woman; "what of him?" 
 
 "His leg, his leg!" bawled Babbett, goaded 
 beyond endurance in her baffled curiosity. 
 
 "His one sound leg and his two sound legs 
 send you their best compliments. When last 
 seen and that was early this morning they 
 were taking him across the Nassau frontier as fast 
 as they could travel. You will no doubt see him 
 soon. Remember me most prettily to him, and 
 tell him how nicely I forestalled him." 
 
 She cleverly dodged the broom the enraged 
 Babbett sent flying after her. The pastor, who 
 had been an amused and edified listener, slightly 
 inclined his head as she passed him with another 
 respectful curtsy. Then she blithely swung her- 
 self out of the gate into the village street. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 SCHOOL was just out. Like a pack of hounds 
 at full cry the village youth came trooping down 
 the High Street. As they saw the girl with the 
 crook stick dangling from her shoulder, they gave 
 a shout of recognition and immediately surrounded 
 her. 
 
 "See there, if this isn't Jette. How do, Skin- 
 nymelink? " 
 
 "Skingirl, where hast been all this time? " 
 
 "In her own skin, of course." 
 
 "Let her alone, thou tow-headed Hans. She 
 is a wild goat and butts like fury." 
 
 " Holy Moses, Jewess ! Thou hast made a good 
 trade somewhere. Thy stick can hardly hold all 
 the pelts." 
 
 "Look, thou Skinnymelink, hast any marbles?" 
 
 "Hast thou?" she asked suspiciously. 
 
 "I asked if thou hadst any," persisted Hans, 
 the tow-headed. 
 
 "First show me thine," she retorted. 
 
 "Well, here are mine." "And mine." "And 
 mine." 
 
 She looked at the well-filled bag each boy dan- 
 gled in her face. Deep into her own pocket she 
 dived. Her hand came out empty as she said, 
 "That thieving Schmul won all mine. But if 
 each of you will lend me one, I '11 give it back if 
 I come out winners." 
 
 The yokels scratched their heads under their 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 7 
 
 caps and looked foolishly at each other. Said 
 Hans sagely, "And if thou dost not come out 
 winners?" 
 
 "But she will," said his sister Gretel, who had 
 a strong cast in her eye; "she '11 cheat thee out of 
 every one." 
 
 "Perhaps I would," said Jette, "if I looked 
 like thee, both ways at once." 
 
 The boys laughed derisively. Gretel, who was 
 tall and strong, made a furious grab at her. But 
 Jette, during her one year of vagabond life, had 
 graduated in all the tricks of the most accom- 
 plished gamin, and could writhe and twist and 
 turn like the cleverest of them. 
 
 "Go home," she said, with a mocking sweep of 
 her hand; "go straighten thy conscience with thy 
 vision before thou wouldst set others' straight. 
 And now stand aside, if thou canst. We have 
 no further use for thee." 
 
 Gretel glowered angrily upon her, but she re- 
 mained, jealously watchful of her brother's inter- 
 est. A ring was quickly formed. The boys put 
 their books upon the ground. But Jette retained 
 firm hold of her stick. It dangled from her 
 shoulder with its suspended load, as she knelt 
 down and knocked out the marbles one after the 
 other, with an accuracy of aim which first aston- 
 ished, then chagrined the boys. As with each 
 dexterous shot their stock diminished, they set up 
 a protesting howl. There were perhaps a dozen 
 of them, ranging all the way from seven to fifteen. 
 Big, brawny fellows some of them were, who did 
 
8 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 a man's work in the harvest field, and had all the 
 muscle and traditional feeding capacity of the 
 model ploughboy; broad in the girth and long 
 of limb, as stupid, thick-headed, and numskulled 
 as rustics remote from travel and all intercourse 
 with the outside world possibly could be. Fed 
 upon superstition, local influence, and family tra- 
 ditions, they were ready, like their elders, to let 
 prejudice run riot, at any and every provocation. 
 
 "Come, Jewess, thou 'rt not playing fair," said 
 a big hulking fellow, as again her accurate shot 
 sent the ring of marbles flying in all directions. 
 
 She jumped to her feet, flushed and disheveled, 
 the pelts dangling from the stick, bobbing up and 
 down in her excitement. 
 
 " What! " she screamed, "thou darest say that? 
 Have n't I knocked out each game fair and square? 
 Say, thou, haven't I, now?" She thumped each 
 boy on the chest, as she went the rounds asking 
 this question. 
 
 "I've lost all my marbles," whined a little 
 flaxen-haired fellow, as he prodded his knuckles in 
 his eyes. 
 
 "So have I." "And I." "And I." "Mine 
 are all gone, too," chorused the rest. 
 
 "I told you so," said Gretel, who now saw a 
 way of getting her innings. "I said she 'd cheat 
 you all out of every one." 
 
 She advanced upon Jette, who, flushed and 
 elated, was slipping her winnings into a stout 
 leather bag already well filled. 
 
 "Give him back his marbles," she commanded, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 9 
 
 pointing to the little whiner. For answer the 
 girl drew the mouth of the bag well together and 
 tightly wound round the string several times. 
 Then with a thud she dropped it into her pocket. 
 
 "He can win them back next time I come," she 
 said, balancing her stick. They were on the 
 outskirts of the village. On one side stretched 
 the dusty chaussee, down which the post-chaise 
 occasionally rattled on its way to Cologne, or 
 when guests visited the village. On the other 
 stretched a beautiful woods, through which a foot- 
 path conducted to the pastor's orchard and vege- 
 table garden. A stream clear as crystal, one of 
 the numerous tributaries of the Ehine, wound in 
 and out among the trees lifting their bare 
 branches to the sky. In the spring the whole 
 village turned out to wash their linen in this pure 
 and limpid water, and the children came to bathe 
 in the hot days of summer. The girl turned 
 towards the chaussee, but Gretel struck her a 
 sounding blow in the face. 
 
 "Thou dost not stir from this spot until thou 
 givest him back his marbles," she said. 
 
 The Jewess spat in her face. "Thou cat! not 
 one shall he have, not one." 
 
 Then they all fell upon her. She kicked and 
 struggled and scratched, and every muscle in her 
 body worked in vigorous resistance. She made a 
 little run backward, doubled herself up, ducked 
 down, and with a sudden lurch butted the biggest 
 bully full in the stomach, so that he fell sprawling 
 upon the ground, howling with pain. She was as 
 
10 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 fleet as a roe, and had she been willing to abandon 
 the miserable crook stick, she might have escaped. 
 But before she had fairly time to turn around, they 
 had seized hold of it. They caught her by her 
 long black braids and swung her round till she 
 could hear each individual hair crack. The palms 
 of her hands were gashed before the stick was torn 
 from her despairing clutch. They brought it 
 down upon her shoulders and limbs till it clung 
 there, slippery with blood. The girl she had spat 
 at clawed her face till the eyes shone out of a raw 
 and shapeless mass. They trampled upon, they 
 kicked her, they scattered her clothing in a thou- 
 sand shreds to the wind. They seized upon the 
 skins, and tearing them apart with their teeth, 
 sent them flying after her clothing. One last 
 wail she gave when she saw this. Maybe the 
 mother's spirit hovering near her forsaken child 
 caught it and wafted it to the living; for while 
 the tiger crew bent over her with the blood in- 
 stinct rampant beyond control, a lusty thud came 
 with a vigorous thwack upon their backs and 
 limbs. A howl, a startled cry, "His reverence, 
 the Herr Pastor," a hurried shambling of feet, 
 and the trees with their gaunt bare branches 
 crackled in the wind above the pastor, where he 
 knelt beside the bleeding form of the maltreated 
 child. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 11 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE Frau Pastorin sat in the south window 
 stitching. Pure white bands they were, of finest 
 linen. Every thread in that precious linen had 
 passed through the Frau Pastorin 's own soft, 
 dimpled hands. The flax was grown in her own 
 fields. She had carded and spun it in the long 
 winter evenings. Then she had it woven into the 
 finest of weaves by the village loom. Babbett, 
 the old peasant servant, who had accompanied her 
 to the parsonage from her father's rich homestead 
 in far-away Pomerania, washed it in the clear, 
 limpid woodland stream, and laid it to bleach in 
 the parsonage orchard, where the perfume of the 
 white clover refreshed the weary senses of the 
 traveler, as the mail coach rattled by. Whiter or 
 finer stitched bands than adorned the shirts of the 
 Herr Pastor and the Herr and Frau Pastorin 's son, 
 Herr Friedrich Feldern, familiarly called Fritz, 
 now cramming for his doctor's examination at the 
 University of Bonn, were not to be found in the 
 whole Rhine province. The Frau Pastorin was 
 justly proud of her stock of fine white linen. Some 
 of it came from her great-grandmother, and but 
 for its pious associations, was as good for use as 
 when that now peacefully reposing dame had laid 
 it out to bleach, her own self. The Frau Pasto- 
 rin 's linen closet was catalogued in strict regard to 
 social etiquette. On the topmost shelves, as befitted 
 their quality, the embroidered, rosemary-perfumed 
 
12 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 'company linen, distinguished by different colored 
 satin ribbon, tied in neat rosettes, reposed in aris- 
 tocratic exclusiveness. Then came the middling 
 class, which was only for occasional use, distin- 
 guished by less elaborate ribbon. Finally came 
 the every-day wear-and-tear stock, which was not 
 ornamented at all, except for the exquisite neat- 
 ness of grouping, and marked in the red linen 
 sampler stitch, dear to the hearts of our grand- 
 mothers. Babbett's kitchen and glass towels 
 piled up the lowest shelves, each article tabbed 
 with a neat loop of linen tape, and marked the 
 same as the rest. This closet, with its exquisite 
 array of rosemary-scented linen, was the Frau 
 Pastorin's jewel casket, the heirloom which was 
 to descend to Fritz, as in part it had descended 
 to her. It was the monument which every good 
 German housewife of those times fifty odd 
 years ago reared to her memory, by which her 
 habits and housewifely qualities were judged. 
 
 As the Frau Pastorin sat complacently stitch- 
 ing in the resplendent afterglow of the departing 
 sun, she was a tonic for the weary soul to look 
 upon. Time certainly had been a-nodding since 
 she was young. Her cheeks were as rounded, as 
 rosy, and as smooth as a baby's. The dimple in 
 her chin came and went with the calm placidity 
 of her thoughts. A white mull cap, adorned with 
 broad lilac satin ribbons, sat lightly upon her 
 thick ash-blond hair, parted Madonna fashion in 
 the middle, from which it rippled behind her rosy 
 ears into broad plaits, wound around the back 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 13 
 
 of her head. A young girl may be beautiful by 
 virtue of her grace, her youth, her vitality. The 
 Frau Pastorin's beauty was the matronly queenli- 
 ness of middle age, with the frolics of young girl- 
 hood still lurking in her dimples; the gayety of 
 a heart which had never come into contact with 
 anything unclean, and a purity of habit which 
 shone on her brow and beamed from her well- 
 opened gray eyes. The impression she made was 
 that of immaculate purity. If ever in God's 
 world there lived a being who practiced "cleanli- 
 ness next to godliness," in the very spirit of the 
 letter, it was the Frau Pastorin, not alone in her 
 own personal habits, but in all her surroundings. 
 Everything in the parsonage, from attic to cellar, 
 smelled sweet and shone resplendent with purity; 
 and the Frau Pastorin's mind was as clean as her 
 body. Filth, whether mental or physical, was 
 abhorrent to her. She held that all vice had 
 its stronghold in dirt. There would be no need 
 of doctors or hospitals, if only every one would be 
 clean. "We cannot all be princes in station or 
 wealth," she was wont to say, "but every one may 
 be a prince in cleanliness and behavior." When 
 a beggar came to her door, she first gave him a 
 piece of soap and a towel. When he had made 
 lavish use of both at the yard pump, he got his fill 
 of bread and meat and wine. If the women stood 
 gossiping at their doors and the Frau Pastorin was 
 spied coming down the street, they would make a 
 hasty dash for their young, and immediately their 
 howls of protest made music in the distance, as 
 
14 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 their faces were scrubbed and they were quickly 
 hustled into clean pinafores. For the prevention 
 of every ill flesh is heir to, the Frau Pastorin had 
 but one universal remedy, it was cleanliness. 
 
 The pleasing twilight was fast fading into dusk. 
 The Frau Pastorin, mindful of her eyesight, 
 folded up her work and put it into her large 
 wicker work-basket. The broad window-sill was 
 filled with myrtle, rosemary, and jasmine, and 
 monthly roses. Since Fritz was grown up, and 
 no longer in need of her motherly care, these 
 flowers were the Frau Pastorin 's children. Strong, 
 sturdy, and healthy they were, perfuming the whole 
 house with their fragrant blossoms. For miles 
 around, the myrtle in the Frau Pastorin's window 
 furnished the wedding crowns for the peasant 
 maidens. It was considered to bring luck to the 
 wearer. Everything that came from the parson- 
 age savored of a benediction. 
 
 The Frau Pastorin plucked a leaf here and a 
 leaf there, then looked out of the window into the 
 gathering darkness. The Herr Pastor had slipped 
 out, as was his wont, after drinking his afternoon 
 coffee and eating his cake. He had lounged forth 
 in his down-at-heel slippers and his "Schlafrock," 
 with his shabby black velvet skull-cap, which he 
 always wore in the house in cold weather, pushed 
 back on his scant gray hairs. It was growing 
 cold. He should have been home long ago in 
 his warm, comfortable Stube, where a roaring 
 fire leaped in the large Herrenhuter stove, and 
 the fine silver sand on the snow-white floor glis- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 15 
 
 tened like flecks of stray moonbeams. The Herr 
 Pastor's chess-table, with the red and black chess- 
 men, stood just as he had left it in front of the 
 cushioned settle in the warm ingle-nook. Surely 
 it was more inviting within than without. The 
 Frau Pas tor in wondered what could keep him. 
 
 As she continued to peer into the darkness, she 
 saw him staggering along, bearing a heavy burden 
 in his arms. Another rescued sheep, she thought, 
 with commiseration. They often tumbled down 
 from the hill where they were browsing into the 
 stream below. Many a four-footed patient had 
 the Herr Pastor nursed back to health and re- 
 stored to its owner, a rich cattle-dealer in the vil- 
 lage, who received back his property as a matter 
 of course. This sheep must be terribly heavy, 
 she thought. The Herr Pastor could hardly stag- 
 ger along. She hastily called to Babbett, and 
 flinging her shawl across her shoulders, went to 
 meet him. It was time. Unable to proceed fur- 
 ther, panting, he had braced himself against a 
 stout tree, for the houses were sparingly scattered. 
 No one had seen him. Lights were lit and cur- 
 tains drawn long ago. The villagers were at 
 their Abendbrod-supper. Babbett came clatter- 
 ing behind her mistress in her wooden shoes. 
 
 "Help thy master," said the Frau Pastorin, 
 "quickly. He has rescued another sheep, and 
 the weight is more than he can bear." 
 
 Babbett gave an amazed cry. "'Tis a two- 
 legged one this time," she said; "the same as you 
 and I, mistress." 
 
16 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 The Herr Pastor held Jette in his arms. Alone 
 and unassisted he had carried her from the woods. 
 Her hair, matted with blood, had coiled itself like 
 a cobra around his throat. Great streaks of blood 
 smeared his face and hands. He motioned Bab- 
 bett to take hold of the child's limbs. He was 
 too exhausted to speak. The Frau Pastorin, 
 greatly troubled, led the way to the back entrance 
 into the kitchen. They laid the unconscious child 
 on the wooden settle. The light from the lamp 
 fell upon her battered face, closed eyes, and 
 bruised limbs. 
 
 "Holy Jesus," cried Babbett, "'tis Jette, the 
 skin girl." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin sickened with horror. "Is 
 is she dead? " she faltered. 
 
 "She may be saved, I think, if something is 
 done for her, and quickly," said the Herr Pastor; 
 "the village youth fell upon and maltreated her. 
 As you see her now, I found her in the woods. 
 They were beating her to death. I could not 
 leave her there alone, and there was no one to 
 help me. So I carried her home the best way 
 I could." 
 
 While he spoke, the Frau Pastorin had been 
 busy tearing up strips of fine old linen. Babbett 
 placed a soft sponge, some towels, and a pot of 
 ointment on the kitchen table, taking care first to 
 spread papers over its immaculate surface. Then 
 she lugged in a big tub. She knew as well as 
 if her mistress' had spoken what would be the first 
 preliminary. The huge copper boiler stood on 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 17 
 
 the stove, filled to the brim with hot water. It 
 was always there, summer and winter, ready for 
 use at a moment's notice. 
 
 The Frau Pastorin took down a large pair of 
 shears. "Papachen," she said cheerfully, "do 
 thou go and change thy linen and clothing. Thou 
 art sadly in need of it, I assure thee. Go to the 
 cupboard and refresh thyself. This sheep thou 
 mayst leave to me." 
 
 The Herr Pastor was tall and gaunt, with some- 
 thing of a stoop in his angular shoulders. He 
 bent down to kiss his wife on the forehead. 
 Usually he kissed her on the lips. But in his 
 present state he knew she would not have liked it. 
 He went, and left the two women to their task. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 JETTE got over her hurts in gallant style. The 
 Frau Pastorin 's skillful treatment and her own 
 hardy constitution battled successfully against 
 what at first seemed to be a very hopeless case in- 
 deed. True, it would take some time before the 
 swollen and disfigured features would resume their 
 natural shape, or the discolored skin its usual fair- 
 ness. And worst of all, the shock to her nervous 
 system remained. The horrors she had passed 
 through became a perpetual nightmare. Towards 
 dawn she would start up, screaming in terror. 
 The whole scene of murderous attack was acted 
 over again. She fancied they had her by the 
 
18 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 throat, and were choking her to death. It was 
 a very trying time indeed to the household at the 
 parsonage. The healthy glow in the Frau Pasto- 
 rin's cheek paled to sallowness, and the stoop in 
 the Herr Pastor's shoulders intensified. Time 
 and the security of a permanent home would, they 
 knew, remedy this evil. The Herr Pastor, with 
 his head sunk on his breast, moved his chessmen 
 mechanically. He was thinking long and deeply. 
 The child was convalescing rapidly; but she re- 
 fused to get up. She clung, screaming, to the 
 bedclothes, imploring them not to thrust her out 
 to be torn to pieces. The Herr Pastor pushed 
 the chessboard from him. The red and black 
 factions which had just stood pitted against each 
 other in fiercest hostility tumbled to the sanded 
 floor. The Herr Pastor had made up his mind. 
 
 He went upstairs to the whitewashed attic room. 
 A small stove stood in the middle of the snow- 
 white boards, diffusing a grateful warmth. Upon 
 the feather bed lay Jette. The bandages had 
 been removed from the raw surface of her face. 
 The new skin was forming nicely in patches here 
 and there. At one time it was feared she would 
 be scarred for life, the sharp nails had so cruelly 
 lacerated the flesh. This had been happily averted 
 by the -Frau Pastorin's healing salves and oint- 
 ments. She predicted confidently that, given a 
 reasonable time for the swelling and discoloration 
 to subside, no disfigurement would mar the child's 
 natural appearance. If the Almighty so willed, 
 she might thrive in perfect health and beauty. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 19 
 
 Jette reclined on her pillow, gently stroking 
 Minka, the great parsonage cat, who lay on a 
 rush-bottomed chair near the bed. Minka, who 
 followed the Frau Pastorin all over the house like 
 a dog, had gravely shared her duties during the 
 girl's illness. She was left in charge when her 
 mistress was called downstairs, or during the in- 
 tervals the patient slept. As soon as she stirred, 
 Minka tiptoed to the partially open door and 
 meowed lustily till some one came running up. 
 She would sit at the foot of the bed, gravely eye- 
 ing the patient, and when she moaned, sympa- 
 thetically lick her feet. Minka seemed to have 
 a proprietary right in the girl, and except for her 
 meals, spent all her spare time in the sick-room. 
 When the Herr Pastor entered, she jumped down, 
 rubbed herself against his legs, and politely sur- 
 rendered her seat to him. He sat down, looking 
 at the child with his near-sighted brown eyes. 
 His clear-cut Roman features were softened by 
 the frame of finest gray hair, which, brushed 
 straight from his high, broad forehead, fell be- 
 hind his ears and touched his shoulders. 
 
 "Thou art better," he said, in his strong, reso- 
 nant voice. 
 
 "Not well enough to get up," she said distrust- 
 
 fully. 
 
 "Thou wilt not get strong as long as thou liest 
 there," he said. "See how beautifully the sun 
 shines. And the ponds are covered with ice. 
 Canst thou skate?" 
 
 She nodded. "I don't want to go out," she 
 said. 
 
20 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Is there no one belonging to thee who will be 
 uneasy at thy absence? " he asked. 
 
 She shook her head. "No one. My father is 
 dead. My stepfather turned me out of doors to 
 get my own living. He took everything belong- 
 ing to my mother and went no one knows where. 
 All but this," she added, drawing a small bag, 
 suspended round her neck by a ribbon, from un- 
 derneath her night-jacket; "my mother gave it to 
 me secretly on her death-bed, charging me never 
 to part with it." 
 
 The Herr Pastor opened the small chamois bag 
 and drew forth a seal emblazoned with a coat of 
 arms. There was an inscription in Latin, which 
 he could not very well decipher. 
 
 "Whose was this? " he asked. 
 
 "My father's. It came to him from his father, 
 who got it from my great-grandfather, and so on, 
 from one generation to the other, my mother said. 
 My father's people were Spanish, hundreds of 
 years ago. They were rich and powerful in their 
 own country. Then a very wicked king and queen, 
 who wanted them to change their religion, took 
 all their land and riches from them and drove 
 them from the country." 
 
 "Where did thy father live? " 
 
 She jerked her thumb over her shoulders. 
 "Over yonder in Nassau. He was rabbi there. 
 He died when I was eight years old. Then my 
 mother married my stepfather. He was very 
 different from my father. He was a very com- 
 mon man, a Pollack," she said disdainfully. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 21 
 
 "Thou shouldst not scorn a man because of his 
 country," said the pastor, who knew nothing of 
 the prejudice the Jews have against those of their 
 own faith born on the frontier between Germany 
 and Poland, who are generally stigmatized by the 
 name of "Pollack; " "the disdain of the conqueror 
 always clings to an oppressed race. Since when 
 is it thy mother died? " 
 
 "A year ago. I was just twelve, and getting 
 on famously at school. My mother was hardly 
 buried when my stepfather told me to go and 
 take service somewhere, as I was big and strong 
 enough to earn my own living. Then he sold the 
 house, took everything he could lay his hands 
 upon, and went away." 
 
 "What didst thou do?" 
 
 "There was a poor boy my mother had be- 
 friended, Schmul Itzig by name. He supported 
 himself buying and selling small pelts. He took 
 me into partnership. At first I was very timid 
 and afraid. My mother had always kept me at 
 home, and said I should go away to boarding- 
 school, so that by the time I was grown up, I could 
 be a governess. Schmul said it was better tramp- 
 ing the highway one's own master than working 
 one's self crooked in some big family for one's 
 board, and getting ill-treated besides. So I soon 
 got used to it. Then I found out that Schmul 
 cheated me, and having saved a little money, set 
 up on my own account." 
 
 The pastor softly stroked Minka, who had 
 perched herself upon his knee. The -spirit of her 
 
22 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 father's race, lie thought, was in this child who 
 had so pluckily fought life's battle alone. Then 
 he asked, closely watching her, 
 
 "What made the village youth ill-treat thee?" 
 
 She shuddered, clenched her teeth, and closed 
 her eyes. "Because I am a Jewess," she said. 
 
 The pastor shook his head. "Oh, no," he 
 said, "but because thou wouldst not return them 
 their own." 
 
 "But it was not their own, your reverence. I 
 had won the marbles in perfectly fair play. It 
 was strictly a matter of business. Friendship is 
 one thing, business another," she persisted, re- 
 peating the formula Schmul had taught her. 
 
 "Why should they beat thee because thou art 
 a Jewess?" asked the pastor. 
 
 She looked puzzled. "I don't know," she 
 finally said; "but this I do know, that they take 
 by foul means what they cannot get by fair. 
 There are more of them, and stronger than we 
 are; that is why they beat us and rob us, the 
 dogs! May lightning destroy them !" she added, 
 grating her teeth angrily. 
 
 "Didst thou hear these things in thy home?" 
 asked the pastor. 
 
 "Your reverence! no, indeed. My father, 
 bless his memory, was gentle and kind, always 
 studying his books. Everybody loved him. 
 While he was alive, my mother went about the 
 house singing, smiling, and laughing. She did 
 not laugh or sing much when she married that 
 Pollack," she said vindictively. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 23 
 
 "Then you have picked up all this knowledge 
 on the highway? " said the pastor. 
 
 "Schmul told me, your reverence. Did n't they 
 beat his parents to death over yonder in Nas- 
 sau ? Yes, indeed. Some man in the village owed 
 his father money. He would not pay it back. 
 Schmul' s father said if he would not pay, he must 
 give up his house and cow and furniture. Then 
 the man went around to every house in the place. 
 At night when the Jews were asleep, they came 
 and smashed their windows and broke in their 
 doors. Those whose doors they could not break 
 in, they dragged through the broken windows 
 with reapers' hooks fastened to long ropes. 
 Schmul saw his father dragged from his bed with 
 a reaper's hook thrust through his chin. They 
 took all the money they found in the house, then 
 set fire to it. If Schmul had not fled to the woods, 
 they would have killed him too. Next day the 
 gendarmes came and took them all to prison. 
 May their bones rot there! But Schmul's parents 
 were dead. He was a homeless, outcast orphan." 
 
 The pastor still softly stroked Minka. His 
 hand trembled. He shuddered once or twice when 
 he looked at the excited child. 
 
 "Thou hast no one in the world belonging to 
 thee, then, no one who would have guarded thee 
 from such a companion? " he said. 
 
 She shook her head. "No one at all. My 
 mother was an orphan like myself. Somewhere 
 in the world, perhaps, some relatives of my fa- 
 ther's may be living. But I don't know how they 
 
24 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 are called, or where they may be found. I am 
 all alone." 
 
 " Wouldst thou not," said the pastor cheerfully, 
 "like to be adopted into some good home, where 
 thou couldst be taught cleanly, self-respecting 
 habits, and grow up into a useful, happy life?" 
 
 " I would doubtless have to work till my back 
 grew round and crooked," she said distrustfully. 
 
 "Thou wouldst be put only to such tasks as 
 are suitable to thy age and strength," said the 
 pastor. " We all have to work, each in his 
 own way. 'T is the only thing which gives a pur- 
 pose to life. It is not seemly that a child of thy 
 age should roam the highway at the mercy of 
 everybody. A girl, especially. Ugh ! Thou dost 
 not know of the frightful dangers lying in wait 
 for thee. Happily thou never shalt know. Thou 
 wouldst not like to shoulder thy stick and go forth 
 again as thou hast been doing?" 
 
 He was sorry when he had said it. She wrung 
 her hands and moaned pitifully. 
 
 "Not that, your reverence, not that. Please, 
 please do not thrust me among those wild beasts 
 again. I am not well; indeed, I cannot get up. 
 Oh, Minka, dear Minka, what shall I do ? " 
 
 "Thou shalt stay here," said the pastor; "thou 
 shalt have a home here, where it has long been 
 desolate for a child's voice since my only son went 
 away. But thou must be good and obedient. In 
 this house no strife has ever entered. Thou must 
 lay aside thy wild wishes, thy intemperance of 
 speech. Docile and gentle as befits thy sex thou 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 25 
 
 must become. That is all that will be required 
 of thee." 
 
 "Stay here?" she said. "Stay here?" she re- 
 peated incredulously. "But thou dear God, you 
 are Christians!" 
 
 "Here," said the pastor, "thou wilt grow up 
 without knowing of any distinction. Neither must 
 thou ever mention it. Thou shalt live strictly 
 according to the requirements of thy religion. 
 Trust me ; I know all about it. Thou canst have 
 thy own pots and pans, thy own dishes. Thy own 
 meats thou canst buy and prepare thyself. Thou 
 shalt keep thy Sabbath and thy holidays. Aided 
 and encouraged thou wilt be in the strict dis- 
 charge of thy religious duties. /So long as thou 
 respectest them thyself, thou wilt find others to 
 do soT Don't cry, my child. Have I refused 
 shelter to a stray sheep, and should I refuse it to 
 thee? I think," he added, with a twinkle in his 
 near-sighted brown eyes, "thou wilt feel like get- 
 ting up now." 
 
 Downstairs he said, "The child is better, and 
 will soon be about again. She will remain here 
 for good and all. Thou wilt teach her to grow 
 up into a good woman, eh, Liebste ? And see thou 
 here, Babbett, the child's nerves are terribly 
 shaken. Thou must have patience with her when 
 she assists thee in thy duties until she grows quite 
 strong again." 
 
 "We have everything in the house," said Bab- 
 bett, with a puzzled look, "but nerves. If she 
 must have any of that, your reverence had better 
 
26 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 send word with the carrier next time he starts for 
 Cologne." 
 
 The Herr Pastor smiled. "Let it be, my good 
 Babbett," he said good-naturedly, tapping her on 
 the shoulder. "I don't think we will commission 
 the carrier this time." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin said nothing. In her placid, 
 contented life the first disturbing element had 
 come. She felt that never again would it be as 
 it had been before. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 So Jette remained at the parsonage. And the 
 villagers called her "Pastor's Jette." She was 
 adopted into his household; she was part and 
 parcel of his belongings. That was enough. 
 Once a fortnight she went to Neustadt, six good 
 miles from Neukirch, as the village was called, 
 to the rabbi for religious instruction. Punc- 
 tually at sundown every Friday evening she rested 
 till the sun went down again the following night. 
 She bought her own meats, killed according to 
 the requirements of her faith, and prepared them 
 in the vessels set apart for her own use. When 
 the family took their meals, she sat at a little 
 table by herself. Babbett was inclined to grumble 
 at this, for she looked upon Jette as no better than 
 herself. But, as the Herr Pastor demonstrated 
 to the Frau Pastorin, the child could not acquire 
 proper table manners in the kitchen. She came 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 27 
 
 of good blood, and must be treated accordingly. 
 She had no dowry; her whole fortune consisted in 
 herself. The more attractive she would be when 
 grown up, the better prospect of a good settlement 
 she would have in life. The Frau Pastor in, who, 
 according to the fashion of most German wives, 
 was accustomed to let her husband act for her, 
 readily acquiesced. She had a great deal of prac- 
 tical common sense, and she saw the truth of the 
 pastor's keen perception. It was a little irksome 
 at first to have the strange child sit diffident, shy, 
 and silent at her own little table, but in course of 
 time one gets reconciled to everything. The girl 
 became quiet, tractable, and docile. No one can 
 pass through the valley of the shadow of death 
 without its leaving an impression even on the 
 youngest mind. And though Jette gave no out- 
 ward sign, her nights were peaceful, her days 
 cheerful, the experience she had passed through 
 was graven on her mind and on her heart like 
 molten lead. 
 
 Jette being a perversion of Henriette, the Frau 
 Pastorin, who thought it vulgar, scrupulously 
 called her by her full name. The Herr Pastor, 
 who was fond of diminutives as he was of kittens, 
 kisses, and babies, called her Jettchen. And Bab- 
 bett, who could not all at once get accustomed to 
 regard the vagrant child in the light of respec- 
 tability, called her Jette. Babbett resented the 
 girl's intrusion into her kitchen, and was very 
 averse to letting her help with any of her house- 
 hold duties. By and by, when Babbett returned 
 
28 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 from church on a Sunday and found a hot dinner 
 nicely prepared, instead of having to bustle about 
 herself, she grew more reconciled. Jette was 
 kept busy from morning till night. When her 
 duties about the house were finished, the Frau 
 Pastorin taught her the sampler stitch, to knit 
 and to sew. In the evening she took her spinning- 
 wheel till it was time to go to bed. But she had 
 one great compensation. All day Saturday she 
 could read. The contents of the Herr Pastor's 
 bookshelves were at her disposal. There she 
 rioted to her heart's content. Heaven only knows 
 what that young brain absorbed and brooded over 
 the rest of the week. Kant, Schlegel, Schiller, 
 Heine, Goethe, Bulwer, all were mixed up in a 
 heterogeneous jumble. If the Herr Pastor had 
 known, his fine silky gray hair would have stood 
 on end. He thought she confined herself to the 
 light works of fiction which had been Fritz's own 
 particular property when he was her age, the 
 beautiful Rhine legends, works of chivalry, a care- 
 ful selection of Sir Walter Scott, books of travel, 
 German history, simple biographies of celebrated 
 men and women. She saved up her kreutzers and 
 commissioned Miiller, the carrier, with many vows 
 of secrecy, to buy her a pocket edition of Schiller's 
 poems. She knew them by heart, but she went 
 to bed and rose again with this precious little 
 volume hidden in her breast. The same carrier 
 brought a liberal supply of books and magazines 
 once a fortnight to the Herr and Frau Pastorin 
 from Cologne. That was always a feast day to 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 29 
 
 Jette. Such books as were thought suitable for 
 her, she was allowed to read. Secretly she de- 
 voured them all. Once Babbett found "Ernest 
 Maltravers " under her pillow, and suspecting 
 something wrong, threatened to tell the Frau 
 Pas tor in. Babbett, good soul, never read any- 
 thing herself, except the cards, which she punc- 
 tually consulted every Friday before going to bed. 
 In a moment of good nature, she had confided 
 this secret to Jette, who was a great deal awestruck 
 by this necromancing. Each Friday night of the 
 new moon she reverentially tiptoed into Babbett 's 
 room, where, by the dim light of a tallow dip, they 
 crouched like a pair of conspirators, breathlessly 
 alert for the slightest noise, while they reveled in 
 the dim mysteries of the future. Jette sat shiv- 
 ering at the foot of the bed, wrapped in an old 
 quilt, while Babbett perched on a stool, the cards 
 spread out on a little table before her. Only 
 Minka, who had attached herself to Jette and 
 slept on the rush-bottomed chair near her bed, 
 was the sole witness of these secret conclaves; and 
 Minka, of course, could not tell, and would not if 
 she could. Babbett was perfectly well aware that 
 the Herr and Frau Pastorin would have strongly 
 disapproved of these proceedings. So when she 
 threatened Jette with exposure, that young damsel 
 spiritedly promised to retaliate ; whereat complete 
 rout and vanquish of the old peasant woman; and 
 Jette was left in undisturbed possession of her 
 lawless readings. 
 
30 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 ABOUT Christmas the Herr Studios, Fritz, the 
 son of the house, came home for the holidays. 
 Like sunrise in May he came, bounding with joy- 
 ous life, waking the echoes of the staid old parson- 
 age into gay song and laughter. With his stu- 
 dent's cap set rakishly upon his thick, fair curls, 
 his guitar slung over his shoulders, he vaulted 
 from the post chaise at the gate, hugged father 
 and mother, who had run out to meet him, and 
 with an arm around each, fairly waltzed them up 
 the graveled path into the house. The warmth 
 of sunshine, the gay abandonment of a happy 
 heart, the infectious joy of life, Fritz brought 
 with him as his companions. His brown eyes 
 dear, beautiful eyes of velvety softness, his father's 
 eyes without their nearsightedness danced with 
 fun and the intense enjoyment of existence. He 
 thrummed his guitar, and in his sonorous, deep 
 baritone sang love ditties to his mother. He 
 caught her around the neck twenty times a day, 
 rubbed his cheek upon which the down of boy- 
 hood still lingered against hers, stroked her 
 white, plump hands, and admired her till she 
 blushed like a schoolgirl. He played chess with 
 his father, and stupefied that clever tactician with 
 a most brilliant draw. From attic to cellar his 
 voice reechoed in merriment. He kicked up his 
 heels like a colt, challenged the pastor to feats of 
 strength, compared biceps with him, and taught 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 31 
 
 his mother the Laendler, the new waltz step. He 
 imitated every actor and actress he had seen, and 
 he did it in such a droll manner that the tears of 
 merriment ran down his listeners' cheeks. The 
 pastor lived over again his own student days when 
 he stood on guard opposite his son with the foils 
 grasped in his hand. Into the house came life, 
 joy, and merriment. The pastor received an 
 assortment of long-stemmed pipes with immense 
 china bowls, and the portrait of the king or old 
 Marshal Blucher on every one of them. For the 
 Frau Pastorin Fritz brought a handsome sandal- 
 wood box, lined with a baker's dozen of Maria 
 Farina, that precious perfume so dear to the 
 German feminine heart. Babbett, his old nurse 
 and playmate, was not forgotten. He came into 
 the kitchen with a gayly checked kerchief pinned 
 over his shoulders, and a cap with rainbow rib- 
 bons perched askew on his head. Fritz was only 
 twenty, but he was full-grown, broad-chested, and 
 square-shouldered like a man, as indeed he could 
 not help being, as everything throve into strength 
 and beauty under his mother's judicious care. He 
 surprised the old woman by coming behind her 
 and putting his hands over her eyes. Then he 
 jerked her round, and when she saw him, she 
 screamed, then flopped upon the kitchen chair and 
 doubled herself up with laughter. 
 
 "How dost thou like me?" he asked, smirking 
 at himself in the little glass over the table. 
 
 He took off the cap with a flourish. " 'T will 
 become thee immensely when thou goest to church 
 
32 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 on a Sunday," lie said, dropping it lightly into 
 her lap. The kerchief followed suit. He had 
 wound a string of colored glass beads around his 
 wrist, and undecidedly fingered them as he took 
 them off. Jette came out of the poultry yard up 
 the kitchen steps, and met the full glance of his 
 large brown eyes straight into her own. He 
 turned away with a shiver of repulsion. 
 
 "Who is yon hideous object?" he asked Bab - 
 bett, in a low tone. 
 
 "'Tis the Jewish child the mistress took into 
 the house." 
 
 "Indeed. I saw her last night and wondered 
 what she was doing here. 'Tis a pity mamma 
 could not have picked up something handsomer. 
 I hate ugly people. Here, do thou give her this 
 string of beads. 'Twas a pretty girl at the Kir- 
 mess sold them to me. I would not have the 
 memory of her rosy cheeks profaned." 
 
 He swung himself out of the kitchen. One 
 could hear him whistling the serenade from "Don 
 Giovanni " as he went down the passage back into 
 the sitting-room. He did not know he left a 
 broken heart behind. A child's heart, it is true; 
 but children's sorrows are far more poignant than 
 grown people's; their inexperienced vision sees no 
 remedy beyond. Poor Jette. She had overheard 
 every word. Fritz's sonorous voice could not 
 easily be subdued into a whisper. She was quite 
 recovered now except for the scabs and bruises 
 which, with the best of care, would take some 
 time to disappear. Jette 's feelings were mostly 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 33 
 
 dormant yet. She had never known what vanity 
 was. Now it was aroused. She studied herself 
 in the glass. What she saw there made her recoil 
 in horror. Swollen, discolored features, greasy 
 with ointment, a mouth askew, eyes half closed. 
 She thought herself hideous, horrible beyond com- 
 pare. She would never be different. She was 
 disfigured, an eyesore in a spot where all else 
 was beautiful. In all her life she had never suf- 
 fered so intensely. When first she saw Fritz, she 
 felt she must adore him. Unseen and unnoticed, 
 she had laughed at his pranks and warmed her 
 desolate heart in the sunshine of his presence. 
 She had wept tears of longing when he caressed 
 his mother, and felt jealous when like a great 
 baby he put his arms around his father's neck. 
 The neighboring " honorationen " young Fraulein 
 adored him. He rode and drove with Thekla 
 von Hermersdorff, the Professor's daughter, whose 
 baronial castle was near by. Thekla was seven- 
 teen, small, dark, petite, vivacious as a Parisi- 
 enne, her father's only child, and heiress to all 
 his wealth. When Fritz should have his doctor's 
 diploma, he would settle in Bonn, and then there 
 would be a wedding. The Frau Pastorin, bridling 
 with pride, invariably harped upon this subject 
 when she showed Jette how to stitch her immacu- 
 late shirt bands. She rang the changes upon this 
 theme in every conceivable form of variation. It 
 was always clear and distinct : Fritz was to marry 
 an heiress, and have full scope for his extraordi- 
 nary abilities. Of course it would be Thekla; 
 
34 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 why not Thekla? They had known each other 
 since childhood; her father was professor at the 
 university. He would be of immense use to Fritz 
 in his future career. In course of time Fritz 
 would be a professor himself; his father-in-law's 
 influence would be of great weight. The young 
 couple would spend their holidays at the castle, 
 how charming, how delightful, to have her dear 
 son and his beloved wife and their darling children 
 so near her. Of course there would be children, 
 her grandchildren, oh, dear, simple soul! She 
 lost herself in an endless vista of ecstatic contem- 
 plation during the stitching of those fine white 
 bands. Magic power those bands ought to have 
 had, for the thoughts which were interwoven with 
 them. The bands were finished to make way for 
 others, but the same thoughts always remained. 
 Happy privilege of the present, to which it is not 
 given to see beyond its own limited vision. 
 
 In Jette's eyes Fritz was a hero. He was the 
 first gentleman with whom she had come into 
 direct contact. The neighboring Honorationen- 
 gentry, upon whom she looked with awe, and 
 worshiped as belonging to a sphere far removed 
 from hers, were his associates and equals. When 
 Thekla von Hermersdorff rode by on her white 
 pony and danced gayly into the house, she stood 
 from afar eagerly devouring every detail of her 
 appearance, and longing with a desperation that 
 amounted to heartsickness to be like this elegant, 
 easy-mannered child of the world. For Thekla 
 had the grace and distinction of manner that all 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 35 
 
 high-bred German Fraulein have, the hallmark 
 of caste and breeding. She might at least try arid 
 pattern herself after her. She eagerly watched 
 the half -coquettish, wholly gracious inclination of 
 the head, just the least little bit sideways, the 
 graceful ease with which she used her hands, the 
 light elegance of her movements. She felt abased 
 to the dust by her own inferiority. No wonder 
 Fritz had called her hideous, if those were the 
 kind of people he was accustomed to as his daily 
 companions. 
 
 One afternoon the young people came in from 
 skating on the pond. There was quite a number 
 of them. They crowded into the sitting-room, and 
 unanimously demanded coffee and cake. Jette 
 was kept busy running backward and forward. 
 The best silver service had to be fetched out, the 
 finest china, the fragrant linen used only on rare 
 occasions. Everybody would have been just as 
 well satisfied to have their coffee in the usual 
 every-day fashion. But the Frau Pastorin's punc- 
 tiliousness would have been outraged. So when 
 at last the fragrant Mocha made its appearance, 
 it was greeted with a shout of joy. There were 
 hardly hands enough to wait upon everybody. 
 Such quantities of cake as were consumed ! Again 
 and again Jette had to trot to the kitchen to re- 
 plenish the coffee-pot. Fritz, who sat next to 
 Thekla, demanded his fourth cup in stentorian 
 tones. As Jette handed it to him, her hand ever 
 so lightly touched his. He shivered, drew his 
 brows together, and looked at her with such a 
 
36 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 feeling of repulsion that, confused and frightened, 
 she dropped the cup and its contents plump into 
 Fraulein von Hermersdorff's lap. The young 
 Fraulein wore a violet velvet dress trimmed with 
 narrow bands of sable, which had just come from 
 the modiste at Cologne. Fritz jumped up with 
 a smothered exclamation ; the Frau Pastorin hur- 
 ried to the young lady's side, full of distress. 
 Everybody looked daggers at the girl, who, trem- 
 bling and frightened, prayed the earth would open 
 and swallow her. "Clumsy, awkward, stupid 
 rustic," muttered everybody. If Thekla was an- 
 noyed, she did not show it. She composedly fol- 
 lowed the Frau Pastorin to her room, and seemed 
 more upset by her profuse apologies than the dam- 
 age done to her dress. 
 
 "Go thou to the kitchen," said the Frau Pas- 
 torin sharply to Jette, who hovered near with a 
 sponge and towel, "and do not show thyself in the 
 sitting-room any more when the company is there, 
 thou awkward rustic, thou." 
 
 "Do not scold her," said Thekla, cheerfully 
 shaking out her dress; "she could not help it, I 
 am sure." 
 
 She looked at Jette, who with difficulty kept 
 herself from bursting into a storm of weeping. 
 Where every one had nothing but blame for her, 
 Thekla' s goodness entirely overcame her. As 
 Thekla took the towel from Jette's hands, the 
 piteous appeal in Jette's deep blue eyes stirred 
 Thekla' s very soul. 
 
 "Thou couldst not help it," she said, raising 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 37 
 
 the drooping chin, as if she were consoling a child. 
 Then, indeed, the floodgates of the girl's grief 
 broke loose. The Frau Pastorin, scandalized be- 
 yond measure, bade her be silent, and wanted 
 to hurry her from the room. But Fraulein von 
 Hermersdorff gently interposed. 
 
 "Let her remain with me, I beg," she said, 
 "until I have made myself presentable. Pray do 
 not keep the others waiting on my account. I 
 shall be with you again in a minute." 
 
 "She is an angel," said the local doctor's wife, 
 when the Frau Pastorin returned, extolling the 
 Fraulein's goodness. "If that had happened to 
 me, I should feel more inclined to box the of- 
 fender's ears than to caress her." 
 
 "Thekla can afford to be generous," said Frau- 
 lein von Sprechnau, the old ex-court Fraulein, 
 who dwelt at the old Schloss up the mountain; 
 "the loss of a dress more or less won't make much 
 difference to her." 
 
 "Fraulein von Hermersdorff has cultivated her 
 feelings," said the pastor, with his fine smile, "as 
 she has her manners. Hers is the goodness of a 
 high-bred heart." 
 
 Meanwhile, Thekla was busy comforting Jette. 
 She sobbed so piteously, and shook so with the 
 intensity of her grief, that Thekla pulled one of 
 the Frau Pastor in 's elaborately worsted -worked 
 footstools forward, put Jette upon it, and seating 
 herself beside her, laid the girl's head in her lap, 
 where her tears added their quota to the already 
 irretrievably ruined dress. Thekla was perfectly 
 
38 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 silent, only passing her hand gently over the close- 
 cropped black hair. For one of the first things 
 the Frau Pastorin had done, when Jette was car- 
 ried unconscious into the house, was to cut off the 
 long black braids close to the scalp, which, indeed, 
 on account of their hopelessly tangled condition, 
 was imperatively necessary. When the sobs had 
 grown less violent, the girl groped for Thekla's 
 hand, and timidly pressed it to her quivering lips. 
 
 "Oh, Fraulein," she said, raising her tear-swol- 
 len eyes to the young lady's face, "I love you so." 
 
 In her young, exceptionally favored life, Thekla 
 had received a great deal of admiration. Indeed, 
 she demanded it as her natural heritage. But no 
 devotion had ever touched her as this naive love 
 declaration. Her eyes moistened, and she blushed 
 rosy red with gratification. 
 
 "Since when hast thou loved me," she asked 
 gayly. 
 
 " Since the nightingale sung in the elder bush. 
 That very night you passed by on your white 
 pony. The Herr Baron, your father, rode by 
 your side. You looked so sweet and gracious, 
 and you vanished so quickly, it made me think of 
 Schiller's ' Maedchen aus der Fremde. ' ' 
 
 "That is surely a flattering comparison," said 
 the young lady, smiling; "thou seem'st to know 
 thy Schiller very well." 
 
 "I have read all his poems," said Jette proudly. 
 
 "Hast thou no companions of thy own age? " 
 
 "I have no time for play, except on the Sab- 
 bath. I prefer to read then. Besides, whom 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 39 
 
 should I play with ? The girls in the village are 
 not nice. They were worse than the boys when 
 they fell upon and beat me. No, indeed. I can- 
 not bear the sight of them." 
 
 "Dost thou not feel very lonely at times?" 
 "Yes, now. Since the Herr Doctor has come. 
 He is always merry, and has so many companions. 
 Ah, it must be very nice to have a father and 
 mother." 
 
 "I have no mother," said Thekla; "I do not 
 even remember her. I was quite young when she 
 died. But I have never missed her. My father 
 has brought me up. Such a dear, good papa ! I 
 don't know what would become of him, if he had 
 not me to take care of him." 
 
 "You take care of your papa, Fraulein? " 
 "Yes, indeed. You smile! It is the truth. 
 What do you suppose he would do, if I were not 
 there to watch over him ? He would never think 
 of putting on his hat or his boots. He would 
 mount the rostrum in his slippers. He thinks so 
 much of his lectures all the time, he has no room 
 for anything else. What do you suppose he did 
 one day ? He had to go out, and I was not there 
 to put his hat on his head, place his gloves in his 
 hands, and see that he changed his house slippers 
 for his boots. He walked down to the university 
 with his coat unbuttoned, no waistcoat under- 
 neath, one of my mull fichus knotted around his 
 neck, and my lace parasol in his hand, instead of 
 his own stick. A nice plight for a grave and 
 revered professor to be in, eh? " 
 
40 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Oh," said Jette, half choked with laughter. 
 She clapped her hands to her mouth, for she did 
 not want to appear impolite. But the picture 
 Thekla had conjured up was too irresistibly comi- 
 cal. She burst into a hearty guffaw. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Fraulein," she began. 
 
 " Oh, laugh, " said Thekla. " I laugh, everybody 
 laughs. It does not hurt papa. He laughs him- 
 self. For all that, he is so beloved, I really do 
 believe if he were to mount the rostrum in his 
 dressing-gown, the students would not even titter. 
 They all know his absent-mindedness. That only 
 increases their respect for him." 
 
 She rose. She had succeeded in diverting the 
 child's grief and giving her something to think 
 about. She felt strongly interested in her. 
 
 "When the nightingale sings again," she said, 
 "and we return to Hermersdorff, thou must often 
 come to visit me. Wilt thou promise to do so? " 
 
 "Fraulein I you wish that I should come 
 to the grand castle, your home, I to see 
 you?" 
 
 "Why not? And I shall expect you very often. 
 Auf Wiedersehen, little one. Remember. When 
 the nightingale sings again." 
 
 That evening, before retiring, Fritz said to his 
 mother, "Do me one favor, liebst' Mammachen. 
 Keep that ugly object thou hast taken into the 
 house out of my sight when next I come home for 
 the holidays. I cannot explain how it is, but she 
 makes me creep with aversion. I can take no 
 comfort in my home as long as she is about." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 41 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 So it came to pass that Jette was sent to the 
 Wildhof , a large farm halfway between Neukirch 
 and Neustadt, and owned by one of the Herr 
 Pastor's parishioners, whenever the son of the 
 house came home. For the next three years he 
 was not troubled by either sight or sound of her. 
 He never inquired what had become of her, and, 
 in fact, he did not care. The present year was 
 his last at college. He was twenty-three now, 
 had matriculated with high honors, and held his 
 M. D. diploma in his pocket. 
 
 It was the year '48, a most exciting time for 
 Germany. The whole European continent was 
 in a blaze. In Hungary, Kossuth was preaching 
 the gospel of freedom. In Baden, the citizens 
 had revolted. In Berlin, the people dragged their 
 dead, butchered by the soldiery, before the king's 
 palace, shouting, "Friedrich Wilhelm heraus." 
 The imbecile king, crouching in terror, came out 
 upon the balcony at midnight to look upon the 
 dead and dying, the ghastly faces illuminated 
 by innumerable torches. The vast square before 
 the palace was filled with a clamoring crowd, held 
 back only by a superior armed force from tearing 
 him to pieces. His brother, the Prince of Prus- 
 sia, who had led the attack upon the people, was 
 obliged to flee for his life, while everybody went 
 about singing, 
 
42 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Come thou, come thou, Prince of Prussia, 
 Come thou, come thou, to Berlin, 
 That we may with stones salute thee, 
 And thy skin flay out of thee." 
 
 Whatever errors that same prince committed 
 in the rashness of youth he nobly atoned for as 
 king. For nowhere in the annals of German his- 
 tory is there a more beloved memory than that of 
 old Emperor William, the idol of his people, the 
 hero of his race. At the universities the students 
 revolted, and formed themselves into insurgent 
 bands. At Bonn, the patriot Professor Gottfried 
 Kinkel, the idol of his class, led his pupils into 
 battle. Among the most enthusiastic who gath- 
 ered around his banner was Fritz now Dr. 
 Friedrich Feldern and his friend and fellow 
 student, a young Hungarian noble, Hans von 
 Czechy. It was a terribly trying tinte for the 
 family at the parsonage. Even in that remote 
 and peaceful region the flaming torch of insurrec- 
 tion reflected its lurid glare, and the din of battle 
 cast its echo through the peaceful valley. 
 
 In the gray dawn of a summer morning there 
 came a subdued knock at the parsonage door. No 
 one heard it ; after a most troubled night all were 
 sound asleep. All but Minka, who rubbed her 
 cold nose against Jette's neck. She started and 
 heard the knock repeated. She cautiously tiptoed 
 to the casement to see who was the disturber. 
 A peasant stood at the door, and he made signs 
 for her to come down. As if by some premoni- 
 tion, the thought of the son of the house flashed 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 43 
 
 through her mind. She hastily dressed herself 
 and crept down. Then she led the messenger a 
 little distance away, that the household should not 
 be disturbed. 
 
 "Out in the ditch," whispered the man, "in 
 the Herr Pastor's garden lie two young men fast 
 asleep. They are covered with blood, their uni- 
 forms are in rags, and they have the red sash of 
 the insurgents across their shoulders. They are 
 students, as you can tell by their caps. We are 
 all stanch royalists here, Fraulein," he hypocriti- 
 cally cast down his eyes, "and the Herr Pastor's 
 loyalty is well known. I thought I would do my 
 duty by reporting here. The Herr Pastor will 
 know best what to do. No one is up yet; no one 
 has seen them." 
 
 "Go thy ways, Hans," she said, trembling all 
 over, "and never cast one look behind thee. God 
 bless thee for thy loyalty. Be sure, when the 
 proper time comes, thou shalt not be forgotten." 
 He touched his cap and went. 
 
 She watched him till he had turned the corner. 
 Then like lightning she sped down the road. She 
 knew well the spot the peasant had indicated. It 
 was a ditch skirting the orchard and dividing it 
 from the vegetable garden. In summer it was 
 generally dry and filled with ferns and falling 
 leaves. In the gray dawn of the morning the 
 village looked ghostlike and silent as the grave. 
 She kept to the middle of the road, that the sound 
 of her flying feet might be deadened in the sand. 
 The outskirts were reached in less than no time; 
 
44 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 she gathered her skirts tightly around her, and like 
 a young colt, leaped the inclosure so as to lose no 
 time. In and out of the orderly, well-kept gar- 
 den beds she dodged till she came upon the ditch. 
 And there, as described by the peasant, lay the 
 doctor and his companion, sound asleep. 
 
 CHAPTEK VIII 
 
 JETTE had been told the reason of her banish- 
 ment to the Wildhof during the doctor's vacations 
 home. In a burst of rage Babbett had once taunted 
 her with it. She accepted it as a matter of course. 
 It was a relief for her to be out of range of his 
 cold stare of dislike, the general air of repugnance 
 he openly showed when she was around. Jette 
 had compensations he did not dream of. At the 
 Wildhof there were children of all ages and sizes, 
 boys and girls, healthy, hearty, romping children. 
 There no one showed any dislike to her. She had 
 only such tasks to perform as she pleased; it was 
 one long, delicious holiday. She went up to her 
 idolized Fraulein at the castle; and when the doc- 
 tor was not about, the Fraulein often stopped at 
 the Wildhof in her afternoon drives and had coffee 
 and delicious new bread and butter, and freshly 
 baked cake, served to her out in the grape arbor. 
 And afterwards they all went hunting for eggs, 
 could anything be more heavenly? 'T is an ill 
 wind surely which blows no one any good. 
 
 Now, as she stood over his prostrate form, she 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 45 
 
 felt a great aversion to touching him. But he 
 had to be awakened. Should she rouse his com- 
 panion? Spite of the disorder of his dress and 
 the grime and dust covering him, he seemed a 
 strikingly handsome, distinguished-looking youth, 
 of high birth and breeding. No. Her modesty 
 would not allow her to rouse him, a perfect 
 stranger. The doctor knew her. Although she 
 already saw the cold stare of repulsion, when he 
 should open his eyes, it must be done forthwith. 
 
 In the east a faint rosy flush heralded the rising 
 of a new day. Broader and broader it grew. It 
 slanted athwart the sleeping men's faces, and 
 enfolded her who was bending over them in its 
 young roseate embrace. The doctor opened his 
 eyes as he felt himself vigorously shaken by the 
 shoulder. He lay as if entranced. 
 
 "Glory of the Morning," he murmured. 
 
 "Arise," said Jette, "no longer must you stay 
 here. You are in danger. I beseech you, rise." 
 
 As she spoke, the strange youth stirred. He 
 raised himself on his elbow and gazed at her. 
 
 "Ah, heavenly vision," he said. 
 
 The roseate glow had enfolded her now all over. 
 With a hand of fire it caressed the silky sweep 
 of her hair and flashed its fiery glow into the 
 intense blue of the eyes appealingly turned upon 
 the young men. 
 
 "Herr Doctor," she urged, "you and the Herr 
 here must lose no time in getting to the parsonage. 
 See ! already the sun is up. In another moment 
 the village will be astir. No one must see you 
 like this!" 
 
46 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 They both sprang quickly to their feet. "Hea- 
 venly Father! " said the doctor, "who art thou?" 
 
 "Hasten," she urged. "I will stay here to see 
 no one passes by." She added quickly as she still 
 saw them linger, "The Herr Doctor has forgotten 
 me. I am the Herr Pastor's Jette." 
 
 "Thou! " ejaculated the doctor, stupefied. She 
 trembled, as his dislike of her flashed across her 
 mind. She did not see his half -outstretched hand, 
 but retreated, giving him a cold, composed look 
 out of her dark blue eyes. He flushed scarlet, 
 grasped his companion's arm, and quickly hurried 
 away. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE Frau Pastorin came down to breakfast 
 anxious and ill-humored. She had had a bad 
 night. Fear and anxiety for Fritz had kept her 
 wakeful. Neither was the Herr Pastor less anx- 
 ious. But he strove to be cheerful and buoy up 
 his wife. The Frau Pastorin sank into her accus- 
 tomed seat at table, and looked around fretfully. 
 
 "Get thee down, Minka," she said; "thou hast 
 no manners at all. I do not want thee on my 
 lap. Get down, I tell thee." 
 
 The big tabby cat was behaving very unusually. 
 She persistently rubbed herself against her mis- 
 tress, meowed as if she would talk, and looked 
 up at her with her round yellow eyes. Then she 
 went over to the Herr Pastor and did the same. 
 
 "Something ails the creature," said her master, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 47 
 
 "or she would not behave so unusually. She is 
 telling us something. What is it, then, old girl, 
 eh?" 
 
 "Where is Henriette," said the Frau Pastorin, 
 looking round; "she should have brought in the 
 breakfast long ago. Really, such negligence is 
 unpardonable. I am fairly dying for my coffee." 
 
 She struck the bell sharply. Jette came run- 
 ning in, a bright spot in either cheek. Her man- 
 ner was eager and alert. She tried to be subdued, 
 but her eyes were bright and gleaming. 
 
 "Why hast thou not brought in the coffee?" 
 said the Frau Pastorin severely; "hast thou again 
 overslept thyself ? and look at thy hair ! thou hast 
 not even brushed it; nay, but such slovenliness is 
 shameful in a girl brought up like thee." 
 
 The girl stammered and looked confused. 
 There were tears in her eyes, and her lips trem- 
 bled. 
 
 "I I will bring in the coffee directly," she 
 said; "we we have visitors to breakfast, Frau 
 Pastorin." 
 
 "Visitors! " said the Frau Pastorin. 
 
 "Visitors," repeated the Herr Pastor; "nay, 
 but " He wheeled round and took hold of her 
 arm. "Come here, Jettchen," he said; "thou 
 knowest something." 
 
 "Herr Pastor," she said, "the Herr Doctor" 
 
 "He is here!" shrieked the Frau Pastorin. 
 "Fritz, Fritz!" She flew out of the room and 
 flung herself upon her son's neck in the passage 
 outside, crying and sobbing as if her heart would 
 
48 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 break. Beside him stood his friend, who heartily 
 shook the Herr Pastor by the hand. The doctor 
 kissed and caressed his mother, and led her back 
 to the breakfast-table. 
 
 "Mammachen, lieb' Mammachen," he said, 
 "thou must try and control thyself. It must not 
 appear that we came unexpectedly. It might 
 arouse suspicion." 
 
 "Suspicion," she stammered, "I do not under- 
 stand " 
 
 "We came here at dawn," said the doctor, 
 "fresh from the battlefield. If the gendarmes 
 found we were here, it might go hard with us. 
 We must lie low a little while. Then all will 
 blow over, and no further danger need be appre- 
 hended." 
 
 "Fritz," she said, "Fritz," she repeated, "hast 
 thou taken up arms against the government? " 
 
 "In the cause of freedom and liberty," he said, 
 "and so did my friend here, Hans von Czechy. 
 He is a Hungarian, mamma, and the same ardor 
 which animates Kossuth runs in his veins. We 
 made our escape together. We thought if we 
 once got here in safety to this remote place, we 
 would be free from pursuit. We were overcome 
 by fatigue, and went to sleep in the orchard, where 
 Jettchen found us." 
 
 "And allow me to say," said Herr von Czechy, 
 with a deep bow, " that never was awakening more 
 agreeable." 
 
 "Jettchen, thou," said the Frau Pastorin. 
 
 "Hans from the Wildhof came to the door," 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 49 
 
 she said, "while you were asleep. He said two 
 fugitive insurgents with student's caps were lying 
 out in the orchard. I thought of the Herr Doc- 
 tor, and went to rouse them before any one should 
 be stirring, and brought them here." 
 
 "Thou didst this, fJettchen?" said the pastor. 
 He took her hand, stroked it affectionately, and 
 kissed her on the forehead. 
 
 "Never in my life will I scold thee again," said 
 the Frau Pastor in, "thou good and discreet child. 
 Thou hast acted like a sensible woman. Thou art 
 sure no one saw thee?" 
 
 "It was too early for any one to be stirring," 
 interrupted the doctor; "make thy mind quite 
 easy, mamma. It was just sunrise when we were 
 safely housed." 
 
 "And I '11 be bound the sun never rose on any 
 one in sorrier plight," exclaimed the young Mag- 
 yar noble, laughing; "luckily we have had time 
 to make ourselves presentable. Holy Father ! but 
 we were in a fine state." 
 
 "What has become of your uniforms?" asked 
 the Herr Pastor anxiously. "They must be put 
 out of sight immediately. Nothing must remain 
 which could throw the slightest suspicion upon 
 you." 
 
 "They are burnt," said Babbett, who just en- 
 tered with the breakfast equipage. "That Jette, 
 I must say she has wit at times. When she came 
 to me and told me the Herr Doctor and his friend, 
 the Herr Baron, were here," she bobbed a curtsy to 
 the young Magyar, "and what a plight they were 
 
50 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 in, I made a fire in the old smoke -ho use, took 
 everything they cast off, even to their shirts, and 
 burnt it. There is nothing but ashes left to tell 
 the tale," she added complacently. 
 
 That was a joyous meal, that breakfast. Bab- 
 bett had wrung the necks of a few unsuspecting 
 pullets, and had prepared them as none but she 
 knew how. The young men sniffed the delicious 
 incense of the food and polished off the very 
 bones. Such a meal they had not tasted for many 
 a day. They were both ravenous. The Frau 
 Pastorin's eyes glistened with pleasure as she saw 
 one appetizing dish after the other disappear. 
 Jette whisked in and out, attending upon their 
 wants. She had had time to run upstairs and 
 smooth her hair and tidy herself up a bit. She 
 wore her dress according to the graceful fashion 
 of the times, cut low in the neck, with short, 
 ruffled elbow sleeves. Her white throat rose like 
 a column of polished marble from the pink mull 
 drapery of the fichu, and her ivory arms, rounded 
 and full like a young divinity's, most exquisitely 
 tapering at the wrists, twinkled in and out of the 
 coffee-cups. Each time she presented a dish to 
 Herr von Czechy, his fiery black eyes spoke their 
 language of adoration, while he thanked her as if 
 she had been a duchess. Like a rare flower sud- 
 denly bursting into bloom, delighting and aston- 
 ishing the beholder, she grew in loveliness under 
 the fiery warmth of the Magyar's glances. The 
 doctor, while volubly talking to his father and 
 mother between big mouthfuls and gulps of scald- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 61 
 
 ing hot coffee, watched her furtively as if stunned. 
 Had this magnificent creature evolved from the 
 stupid, repulsive, greasy object he had looked 
 upon with aversion three years ago? Was it pos- 
 sible in nature to produce such results ? In truth, 
 the change had been so gradual that her daily 
 associates hardly noticed it. Those who, like 
 him, had not seen her develop from a lanky, over- 
 grown child into sweetest girlhood, found it hard 
 to reconcile one with the other. She listened as 
 they related their adventures. Her heart swelled 
 with pride that she had been fortunate enough to 
 be of some service to two such heroes as she evi- 
 dently took them to be. 
 
 "We fought behind the barricades at Baden,'* 
 said the doctor, "until the soldiery beat us back. 
 It was no use holding out against such overpower- 
 ing numbers. Our class had banded together. 
 Hans commanded us. He fought like a lion. But 
 we were only a handful against a whole regiment. 
 Some of us were slain. Some wounded. But no 
 one was captured. We retreated shouting, 'Lib- 
 erty and equality.' Then every one had to look 
 out for himself." 
 
 "And didst thou never think of father and 
 mother, thou hot head?" said the Frau Pastorin 
 reprovingly. 
 
 "We made our way to Cologne," said Hans 
 von Czechy, "the best way we could. We were 
 in hourly danger of being taken. Then Fritz 
 suggested that if we could manage to find our way 
 as far as this, we would be safe from all pursuit. 
 
62 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 We marched all night, and arrived at the out- 
 skirts of the village just before dawn. We did not 
 wish to startle you with a too sudden appearance. 
 Fatigue overpowered us, and we slept until the 
 Fraulein, like a guardian spirit, appeared and led 
 us to safety, peace, and " 
 
 "Home," interrupted the doctor, looking at him 
 with an immense glance out of his brown eyes. 
 
 "Thou hast placed thyself in fearful jeopardy," 
 said the Frau Pastorin, "and endangered thy par- 
 ents besides. Was it wise of thee, my son, to do 
 this?" 
 
 "It was well done," said the Herr Pastor, walk- 
 ing up and down with his hands in his pockets. 
 "Be silent, Liebste. No harm will come of it. 
 It was just what I should have done, had I been 
 in thy place," he said, pausing before his son and 
 placing his hand upon his shoulder. 
 
 "Blessed are the fathers," said the doctor, 
 "who reprove their sons in this wise." 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 "Tnou codfish," said Hans von Czechy, as 
 soon as he and his friend were alone, "how comes 
 it thou never told'st me of this heavenly maid? 
 A sly, selfish rascal thou art! Our whole class 
 would have turned out to do her homage." 
 
 The doctor made a grimace. "Then it is just 
 as well thou wert left in ignorance so long. Fancy 
 those wild, rakish fellows thrumming their guitars 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 53 
 
 under her window in the still hours of the night 
 and caterwauling over each other, 'Ich liebe 
 Dich.'" 
 
 "One hasn't codfish blood in one's veins as 
 thou hast," said Hans. "Wilt thou answer my 
 question?" 
 
 "Being a codfish," said the doctor coolly, "is 
 a great advantage in this world of scatter-brains. 
 It preserves one from all sorts of follies." 
 
 "I would sooner let my heart rend me," retorted 
 Hans, "than allow it to be ruled by such an in- 
 fernally cool head as thine. At all events, one 
 lives. Ugh ! fancy going through life with reason 
 constantly padlocking every blissful heart-throb 
 of love and passion." 
 
 "And its agony," said the doctor. "Thy heart 
 is frittered away in such small portions, one bit 
 here, another one there; thou hast not thought 
 of that." 
 
 "Hallo!" said Hans; he wheeled round and 
 looked at the doctor. A fine smile crossed his 
 lips. "Nature," said he, "has a fine rod in pickle 
 for thee. I shall hear of thee when I am far away 
 in my home on the banks of the Danube. Thou 
 scoffer! thy turn will come some day. 'Twill go 
 hard with thee, my sly Fritz. Like an avalanche 
 't will overtake thee, crushing thy cool wits under 
 its might." 
 
 "Have I ever," said the doctor, carefully knock- 
 ing the ashes from his cigar, "given thee cause for 
 thy present rhapsody?" 
 
 "Thou art so infernally sly," said Hans. "What 
 
64 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 shouldst thou know of love's agony, if thou couldst 
 not gauge its bliss? " 
 
 He whistled softly, plucked a leaf from the 
 trailing vine covering the arbor in which they were 
 seated, then said again, "Who is this divine 
 maid? " 
 
 "She is an orphan without money, home, or 
 friends, whom my parents adopted into the house- 
 hold three years ago. I did not remember her 
 existence until she made herself known," said the 
 doctor. 
 
 "If I had not been present when she did so," 
 said Hans, "I should be tempted to doubt thy 
 word. I am bewildered how this can be. How 
 couldst thou avoid seeing her, if she was a member 
 of thy home, when thou earnest here to spend thy 
 holidays?" 
 
 "Thou wilt make me lose patience! Was she 
 not a child then, a perfect child? Who thinks 
 of noticing children? " 
 
 "Bah! thou art not telling me the truth. I 
 shall ask her myself." 
 
 "I will wring thy neck if thou dost," said the 
 doctor furiously. 
 
 Hans burst out laughing. "Cher Fritz," he 
 said caressingly, "get thee down on the stool of 
 confession. Out with the truth, however painful 
 it may be." 
 
 "Thou canst badger one to death," said the 
 doctor. " Wilt thou believe me if I tell thee that, 
 with the exception of her first coming, I have not 
 set eyes on her for three years ? " 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 55 
 
 " Thou dear Heaven ! If she was here, thou must 
 have seen her." 
 
 The doctor intently studied his cigar. "She 
 was not here," he said, " whenever I came home." 
 
 The young Magyar burst out laughing. "Thy 
 mother was wise," he said. "Such a temptation 
 might have been too much even for thy cool head. 
 Fraulein von Hermersdorff would have had good 
 cause to be jealous." 
 
 "Look thou to thy own account," retorted the 
 doctor. "I fear it is as much as thou canst 
 straighten out. Why shouldst thou drag in the 
 professor's daughter? I am not betrothed to her 
 as thou art to the Countess Irma." 
 
 This made Hans wince. He fingered a gold 
 chain he wore round his neck, as if it were some- 
 thing which should act as a wholesome curb to his 
 wandering fancy. And so in truth it did. At- 
 tached to it was a miniature of the young countess, 
 to whom his prudent father had betrothed him 
 before he let him depart for the university. She 
 was the daughter and only child of a neighboring 
 noble. Their estates adjoined. At her father's 
 death all his riches would go to her. It was an 
 eminently proper match. The Countess Irma was 
 a blonde, sweet-tempered girl of fourteen, con- 
 tentedly eating bread and jam in the schoolroom, 
 when the betrothal took place. She was now 
 grown up, and perfectly satisfied to be married as 
 soon as her lover should return home. During 
 his four years' absence Hans's fancy had often 
 wandered. But it had never been anything more 
 
56 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 serious than fancy. He made love to pretty shop- 
 girls and coquettish Kellnerinnen ; sent flowers and 
 bonbons to the professors' daughters; thrummed 
 accompaniments on his guitar in their drawing- 
 rooms to his amorous love-ditties, and danced the 
 Czardas with a fire and vim which carried all 
 female hearts by storm. The fair maidens adored 
 him, for he was in the flower of his youth, like 
 the doctor, just twenty-three, not so stalwart and 
 powerfully built, but with a chest like a Hercules, 
 biceps like steel, tall, with black eyes and hair, 
 ivory white teeth, which twinkled most provokingly 
 between full red lips shaded by a black mustache. 
 He had all the passionate ardor of his race, and was 
 the gracefullest dancer along the Rhine. Adroit 
 with the foils, he was also a skilled and scientific 
 swordsman. He had fought the regulation number 
 of duels, and bore his scars as proudly as any other 
 hero. His features were delicately handsome, of 
 the true aristocratic type, chastened and refined 
 through a long line of noble ancestry. With his 
 superabundance of fiery ardor, he was calculated 
 to carry havoc into the feminine camp. Many 
 there were who had surrendered to him ; innumer- 
 able were the scrapes he had got out of and fallen 
 into again. But the little miniature around his 
 neck was his talisman which preserved him from 
 serious harm. He would fall back upon it as his 
 consolation, after a peculiarly severe rebuff from 
 some fair one. In sentimental moments he would 
 draw it forth and gaze upon the innocent childish 
 features, like a devout Catholic upon one of his 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 57 
 
 saints. Once he fought a duel to the death with 
 a fellow student, who had audaciously snatched 
 the picture from his hand and kissed it. Now the 
 child was grown into the woman, and he was going 
 home to marry her. The wedding trousseau was 
 already under way ; there were to be grand festiv- 
 ities at Castle Czechy, one of the finest baronial 
 piles on the beautiful, fascinating Danube. And 
 the doctor was to go with him, and be best man, 
 for they two were bosom friends. It was just as 
 well they should leave the country as soon as ex- 
 pedient. They had taken too active a part in the 
 uprising against the government to escape being 
 sought for long. And yet those student days 
 had been beautiful. The fullness of life they had 
 indeed given him. Never again would they return, 
 those golden, free, careless hours, when the wine 
 of existence was alluringly placed to the lips and 
 quaffed in deep, heartfelt, satisfying draughts. 
 "Die shoenen Tage von Aranjuez sind zu Ende," 
 he quoted, with a half sight of regret. He turned 
 to the doctor. 
 
 "Tell me," he said, "if thou canst, why does 
 the beautiful Fraulein sit apart from us at table ? 
 She seems as high-bred and well-mannered as any 
 of our patrician demoiselles." 
 
 "Thy words," said the doctor, "imply a re- 
 proach to my parents they are far from deserving. 
 It is by their sanction she sits apart, not because 
 it is their will. I can give thee the explanation 
 in a word. She is a Jewess." 
 
 Like the radiance of the sun suddenly obscured 
 
58 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 at the full tide of noon, fell the countenance of the 
 young noble. He seemed both astonished and 
 crestfallen. "A Jewess," he faltered, "here in 
 thy father's house?" 
 
 "Even so. She sits apart by her own wish, for 
 fear of her food being contaminated." 
 
 "'T is the most inconceivable thing heard of," 
 said the Magyar; "and thy parents encourage her 
 in this?" 
 
 " 'T is part and parcel of her creed. My father 
 sees to it that she keeps all the requirements of 
 her religion most scrupulously. She is probably 
 more exact in their performance than if brought 
 up in the midst of her own people. To her 't is 
 all quite sacred." 
 
 "But fancy her isolation! to be with you and 
 not of you. To feel herself something apart, of a 
 different race, people, persuasion has thy father 
 acted wisely in this? " 
 
 "Thou judgest my father," said the doctor, "as 
 a very different man from what he is. In his 
 estimation the better life beyond is our common 
 goal. No matter by what road we travel to at- 
 tain it, so long as we go about the right way to 
 reach it. Thou as the Catholic, I as the Protest- 
 ant, she as the Jewess. In this house Jettchen 
 has never been made to feel any different from 
 the rest. She has grown up in it quite naturally, 
 as part and parcel of her surroundings." 
 
 "Wait," said the Magyar, "till the time comes 
 for her to marry. Then she will realize the evils 
 of her position." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 69 
 
 "She will marry one of her own faith, of 
 course," said the doctor. 
 
 "If she does," said Hans, "she will feel like a 
 bird in a strange nest. But hush. Here she 
 comes. Maria! How beautiful she is." 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 JETTE and the Frau Pastorin came down the 
 graveled walk, followed by Minka. The blonde- 
 haired, pink-cheeked, stately matron was the most 
 desirable foil one could have wished for the young 
 creature just budding into the most exquisite wo- 
 manhood. Her wavy black hair, glossy as finest 
 satin, rippled and curled and caressed and co- 
 quetted around a face of the purest oval ; the chin, 
 in which a dimple slyly peeped forth, perched 
 rather saucily forward. Her mouth was adorable, 
 the upper lip short and curved, the lower pouting 
 and most beautifully moulded. The nose was 
 delicately aquiline, and sweeping, long black eye- 
 brows contrasted with nobly shaped eyes of the 
 most intense blue. " Stief muetterchen Augen," 
 the Herr Baron called them. In truth, the dark- 
 est purple of the pansy could only be likened to 
 the color of Jette's eyes. And those eyes, how 
 shy, how innocent, how wistful in expression when 
 lifted to one's own. And yet how full of fun, of 
 sweetest merriment and laughter, hiding itself 
 demurely under the upward curled fringe of thick- 
 est black lashes. The brow, wide and somewhat 
 
60 , A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 high, gave its stamp of nobility to her features, 
 with their dazzling purity of complexion. Her 
 hair, which had grown again in luxuriant pro- 
 fusion, was the crowning glory of this beautiful 
 being, a fit frame for such a picture. Like the 
 Frau Pastorin's, it was parted in the middle, from 
 where it undulated to the nape of the neck, and 
 coiled in silky masses around a most shapely head. 
 Two long curls fell behind either ear, and con- 
 trasted with the snowy neck they adorned. Her 
 manner was one of harmonious repose. She held 
 prisoner the eye, and fascinated the understanding. 
 
 Afternoon coffee was to be served in the arbor. 
 There were to be strawberries, of which the doctor 
 was very fond. Jette carried a basket of twisted 
 bamboo in which to gather them. As she came 
 up the path, swinging her basket in innocent gay- 
 ety of heart, Hans von Czechy looked at her with 
 redoubled interest, not untinged with melancholy. 
 This beautiful being, so strangely situated, so 
 isolated and apart, would she ever wake up to the 
 true bitterness of her position? Some day, he felt 
 certain. Ay, some day! 
 
 "Surely, dearest Fraulein, you will permit me," 
 he said, with a bow, such as only this fascinating 
 rascal knew how to make. He took the basket, 
 which she blushingly yielded to him. Minka 
 stood undecided, alternately looking at the Frau 
 Pastorin, then at the retreating girl, with the 
 young baron at her side. Then she elevated her 
 long brush and scampered after them. Their 
 merry jests and laughter reached the ears of the 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 61 
 
 Frau Pastorin and her son, as the former stooped 
 over her rosebushes. 
 
 "Minka has turned traitor, mamma," he said; 
 "art thou not jealous? " 
 
 "It is wonderful how she has attached herself 
 to Henriette," said the Frau Pastorin, cutting a 
 rose here and there; "thou hast no idea how she 
 pines for the girl during her banishment to the 
 Wildhof." 
 
 The doctor winced. He savagely kicked a peb- 
 ble out of his path. It flew high up in the air 
 and alighted near the strawberry -bed. 
 
 "Fritz," said his mother hurriedly, "will will 
 it be necessary to send Henriette away again? 
 Thou earnest so unexpectedly thou seest there 
 was no time to " 
 
 "Father in heaven," interrupted the doctor, 
 "how one's sins find one out!" He was scarlet; 
 his eyes blazed. "Dear mamma," he said, "thou 
 knowest I shall not stay here long. 'T would 
 hardly be worth while, would it, to banish her 
 again?" He emphasized the word vindictively. 
 "Let me assure thee that neither now nor at any 
 other time will it be necessary to send her away 
 on my account." 
 
 "Oh," said the Frau Pastorin, relieved, "I was 
 afraid thou hadst not overcome thy aversion to 
 her." 
 
 "Aus Kinder werden Leute," he said oracu- 
 larly; "she has changed somewhat from then." 
 
 "Yes, indeed ! " said the Frau Pastorin. "Thou 
 sawest her first under very unfavorable circum- 
 
62 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 stances. Papa says her own mother would not 
 have known her. Before then she was a very 
 likely looking child." 
 
 "She kept the promise of her childhood, then," 
 said the doctor. 
 
 "She has developed beyond my expectations," 
 said the Frau Pastorin. She spoke with as much 
 professional pride as a gardener of a cherished 
 plant or flower. " 'T is a lucky thing for her, as 
 it is the only dowry she will have. 'T will enable 
 her to get settled in life the better and quicker." 
 
 "Mamma," he said suddenly, "has has she 
 ever been told why she was sent to the Wildhof ? " 
 
 "Babbett told her," said the Frau Pastorin. 
 "Papa was angry with Babbett, and scolded her 
 roundly for doing so. But she was always glad to 
 go. 'T was a joyous holiday for her. They were 
 very fond of her at the Wildhof, and quite spoilt 
 her by letting her do as she pleased." 
 
 The doctor bit his blonde mustache. His eyes 
 glistened with a suspicious moisture. 
 
 "Thank God for that," he said; "she is not at 
 all like any one I have ever seen, and yet she re- 
 minds me so strongly of some one. If I could only 
 nail my elusive fancy! It plagues me to death." 
 
 "I can help thee out," she said cheerfully. 
 "In her manner and gestures she is just like 
 Thekla." 
 
 He gave her a great glance. " Good Heavens ! " 
 he said, "thou art right. She is Thekla over 
 again, even to the manner she inclines her head." 
 
 "'Tis easily explained. She has been with 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 63 
 
 Thekla a great deal when thou wert not up there. 
 Thou rememberest that afternoon, three years ago, 
 when thou and thy friends came in from skating, 
 and she threw the cup of coffee over Thekla 's 
 dress? Thou surely must remember it, since it 
 was that very day thou didst beg of me not to 
 let thee see or hear her any more? Thekla took 
 to her then, and begged of me to send her up to 
 the castle whenever she could be spared. 'T was 
 a lucky thing for Henriette, I assure thee. For 
 all she knows of graciousness, attractiveness, and 
 breeding, she owes to Thekla." 
 
 "How much better women are than men," said 
 the doctor. He lifted his mother's hand to his 
 lips. "Dear Thekla," he murmured. 
 
 His mother's eyes sparkled. "There is no one 
 like her," she said. "Fritz," she urged, "before 
 thou goest away, ought not matters to be settled 
 between you? She is twenty now; thou wilt be 
 gone some time " 
 
 "No, no," he interrupted hastily; "'twould not 
 be at all fair to her. I shall be gone three or 
 four years at least. Thekla must be left perfectly 
 free. She will have chosen some one long before 
 I come back." 
 
 "Thekla will never marry," said his mother 
 positively; "had she wanted to do so, she need 
 not have waited till she is twenty. She loves 
 thee, Fritz. She will never marry any one else." 
 
 He turned away impatiently. His eyes w$re 
 strained towards the strawberry -bed, from which 
 sounds of gleeful mirth and laughter came. 
 
64 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "I should think," he said severely, "those 
 strawberries ought to be picked by this time. Are 
 we never going to have coffee?" 
 
 "I will call Henriette," said the Frau Pastorin, 
 startled at his tone; "it shall be here directly." 
 
 "Mamma, "he said abruptly, "why should Jett- 
 chen sit apart, now she is grown up? You and 
 papa are used to seeing her so. But from stran- 
 gers it arouses comment. 'T will surely not con- 
 taminate her meats to eat them at the same table 
 with us." 
 
 So it came to pass that from that day Jette sat 
 apart no more. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 "AcH so hold und so traut," sung Jette, as she 
 squatted among the beans and cabbages, pulling 
 up weeds and exterminating slugs. It had rained 
 the night before ; and as it was her duty to keep 
 the large kitchen -gar den just outside the village 
 outskirts in perfect order, she had put on her sun- 
 bonnet and started out to investigate. The sun 
 was hot, but she worked on industriously. The 
 garden had been neglected of late ; she had been 
 obliged to help Babbett all day long. The sudden 
 invasion of the quiet parsonage, where everything 
 moved with clockwork regularity, by two young 
 m^n effervescing with a superabundance of animal 
 spirits, who played all sorts of pranks on each 
 other and everybody else, was not calculated to 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 65 
 
 speed any one in his work. Of course Jette en- 
 joyed it; every one did. In another week or two, 
 at most, they would have to leave. Then all this 
 heavenly time would come to an end. For they 
 were golden days to Jette, days in which time 
 seemed to stand still in one long, mirthful holiday. 
 Then fate gave her all of happiness it had to give. 
 It was not stingy about it. With full, lavish 
 hands it crowded into her young life all the sun- 
 shine it had ever known. In its benignant rays she 
 unfolded like a gorgeous flower, so that there was 
 no pain mixed with the delight of beholding her. 
 Jette was now in her seventeenth year, but the 
 delicious fragrance of innocent childhood hovered 
 about her still. When she raised her deep violet 
 eyes, with their veil of long, sweeping lashes, 
 straight as truth, to one's face, the fearlessness 
 which knows nothing of evil and suspects still less 
 spoke out of them still. The enticing dew of the 
 early morning was upon this blossom yet, and woe 
 to the hand which sacrilegiously should be lifted 
 to brush it hence. 
 
 "Mother Mary," said the Magyar to his friend, 
 "how beautiful she is! Codfish! how canst thou 
 behold her day after day, each succeeding one 
 more ravishing than the last, and not lose thy 
 head completely? " 
 
 "Thy father showed his wisdom," said the 
 doctor, "in tying both thy hands before thou 
 wentest; otherwise Heaven knows what folly thou 
 wouldst be capable of." 
 
 Hans rumpled his lavish black curls in anger. 
 
66 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "'Twas not wisely done," he said; "'twas 
 cruel, tyrannical in the extreme. My consent was 
 not even asked. 'T was all done as a matter of 
 business." 
 
 "As all matters of this kind are done," said the 
 doctor. 
 
 The young baron stared at him fiercely. "Wait 
 thou," he said; "I will take my innings out of thee 
 one day. 'T will go hard with thee, I tell thee : 
 far harder than with me. The barricades girding 
 thy cold, phlegmatic breast will be stormed with- 
 out warning. Then there will be an earthquake. 
 Vesuvius, with all its hell-fires let loose, will be 
 nothing to it. 'T will be grand, but it will con- 
 sume thee to ashes." 
 
 "Why dost thou rave at me," said the doctor, 
 "because thou fanciest one maiden, and art be- 
 trothed to another? Be easy! 'T is an accident 
 which has happened to thee more than once." 
 
 "I will never survive this," groaned Hans; 
 "this time, I tell thee, 'tis serious. She haunts 
 me, this angel maid, wherever I go. Waking or 
 sleeping, I dream of her. She is there with her 
 eyes soft and velvety as the heart of love. I 
 have no peace anywhere." 
 
 "H'm!" said the doctor attentively, scanning his 
 face, which flushed and glowed with the vehemence 
 of his words, "thou hast the fever seriously this 
 time. Give me thy pulse to feel." 
 
 "I will strangle thee," said Hans savagely, "if 
 thou mockest me into the bargain. I have half a 
 mind" 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 67 
 
 "As a good Catholic," said the doctor, "thou 
 oughtest to know that open confession is good for 
 the soul. Go on. Unburden thyself." 
 
 "I have half a mind to run away with her." 
 
 The doctor laughed. "She would not go with 
 thee," he said. 
 
 "She would not, eh? Not if I told her of my 
 passion and the life that awaited her? " 
 
 "What life?" said the doctor. He wheeled 
 round suddenly. "Thou forgettest," he said, 
 "that she is a Jewess. She would no more forego 
 the religion of her fathers than thou wouldst thy 
 own. 'T is an abyss, an unbridgeable chasm, 
 which, aside from all other considerations, divides 
 you. Speak no more of such folly. 'T is un- 
 worthy of thy manhood." 
 
 "What did thy father mean," said Hans 
 moodily, "in bringing her up in such fashion? 
 Some time or other she will have to be settled in 
 life. What will become of her then? " 
 
 "My father," said the doctor, "believes in the 
 inalienable sacredness of the rights of the individ- 
 ual. This girl was born a Jewess; she had to 
 remain a Jewess. 'T was his duty to see she grew 
 up no half-hearted one. As to her future, thou 
 needest not puzzle thyself. She will marry, as 
 most maidens do. Thou wilt own she will not 
 lack for suitors, dowerless as she is, if the fame of 
 her beauty once gets abroad. Only it will have 
 to be some one of her own faith." 
 
 "I do not believe it," said the Magyar; "she 
 has not grown up among them ; she will feel out of 
 
68 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 place. Thy father may have acted conscientiously 
 in bringing her up as he did. Whether it was 
 wisely done remains to be seen." 
 
 Meanwhile, Jette was pulling up weeds, raking 
 and hoeing as if her life depended on it. Her 
 dear garden was beginning to look like itself 
 again. When the Frau Pastorin came to inspect 
 it, or Babbett fetched her daily supply of vegeta- 
 bles, there would be no scolding or fault-finding. 
 She wanted to be back before supper, in time to 
 change her dress, to set the table, and help Bab- 
 bett with the dishes. And as she worked, she 
 sang one song after the other, those she had heard 
 the doctor and Herr von Czechy sing, the latest 
 languishing love ballads of the incomparable Jenny 
 Lind, who was then in the zenith of her fame. 
 For in addition to the lavish gifts nature had 
 already so bountifully bestowed upon Jette, she 
 possessed a glorious contralto voice, magnificent 
 chest notes, deep and vibrating as the full tones 
 of an organ; sweet, sonorous, and pure, full of 
 a thrilling sympathy which came straight from 
 the heart. In the limited opportunities she had, 
 Fraulein von Hermersdorff had taught her how to 
 manage her voice, and to accompany herself on 
 the guitar. Added to this she had a quick, unerr- 
 ing ear, which enabled her to repeat accurately 
 everything she heard. The pastor's eyes would 
 glisten with pleasurable emotion when she went 
 about her tasks, yodling like a Tyrolean till she 
 challenged the echoes from every nook and cranny 
 of the quiet old place. Verily she was the sun- 
 shine of the house. 
 
A TENT OP GRACE 69 
 
 As for the fiftieth time she sung, "Marta, 
 Marta Du entschwandest," she almost jumped 
 with surprise, when a clear, fine tenor fell in with 
 , the strain, mingling with the tones of her voice as 
 if it had found a fitting mate. In another moment 
 Hans von Czechy vaulted over the high paling, 
 and laughingly lifted her to her feet. 
 
 "Talk of the angels," he said; "I was just wish- 
 ing with all my heart and soul you were out here 
 with me under the trees, and I had my guitar with 
 me. Then your beautiful voice rose upon the air. 
 'T was my fairy guide to just where I wanted to 
 be. May all my wishes in life be as satisfactorily 
 fulfilled." 
 
 She laughed in pure sympathy with his delighted 
 mood. "'Tis so lonely here," she said, "one 
 could sing all day long without being heard. I 
 always sing when I work. I don't know why, but 
 it is so." 
 
 "Song and laughter," he said; "if I had my 
 will, they should be your life companions. Nothing 
 rough should ever breathe upon, much less touch 
 you. Surely if any one was destined for happi- 
 ness, it is you." 
 
 She blushed, then said, "I thought you miles 
 away. Have you not been up to Hermersdorff ? 
 I fancied you and the Herr Doctor started hours 
 ago to see if the young Fraulein had returned 
 from her visit to Silesia." 
 
 "Aha," he said slyly, "that 's my secret." 
 
 Again she had to laugh. His merriment was 
 so contagious. Really one could not be angry 
 
70 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 with him. He sat down under a large sycamore - 
 tree, whose ample branches afforded a grateful 
 shade on the hottest day. He took her hand and 
 made her sit down beside him. A brook, widened 
 by last night's copious rains into quite a little 
 stream, lapped its tiny wavelets at their feet. The 
 scent of mignonette, sweet lavender, and wild 
 marjoram perfumed the balmy air. High up in 
 the sycamore-tree a lark was bursting its little 
 throat with its pa3an of praise. The soft summer 
 breeze lifted the thick, luxurious curls from the 
 Magyar's brow. His dark face kindled, as with 
 distended chest he drew his breath in deep, de- 
 lighted draughts. His eyes roved over the undu- 
 lating valley, where in the far distance the blue 
 Ehine beckoned like a beacon of hope. 
 
 "What a quaint place this is," he said, "tucked 
 snugly away among these hills like a child in its 
 cot. One could almost fancy the footprints of 
 time had never strayed here ; that it was always 
 so, and always will be, an Eden, where no hate- 
 ful strife or contending passions ever can come." 
 
 Jette thought of the time when, in the road 
 just outside of the garden inclosure, she was all 
 but beaten to death. The recollection made her 
 shudder, as it always did. It was thus it con- 
 tinually obtruded itself in her happiest moments. 
 
 "There are human beings here," she said, "and 
 wherever they are, there is human nature." 
 
 Hans peered under her sunbonnet. " Take that 
 disfiguring thing off," he commanded. "What 
 horrible aged sarcasm out of such a young, lovely 
 mouth!" 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 71 
 
 Meekly she took off her bonnet. Somewhat 
 troubled she seemed that her words should have 
 made such an impression on him. She had said 
 them in all innocence just as she thought. In 
 her confusion she stooped to pick up a pebble at 
 her feet. Her book fell out of her pocket, her 
 beloved Schiller, without which she never rose or 
 went to bed. His attentive eyes saw it. He 
 hastily forestalled her in picking it up. Feeling 
 herself very guilty, she tried to seize the much- 
 bethumbed treasure, but Hans retained firm hold 
 of it. 
 
 "Is it from this," he said, "you imbibe such 
 ideas ? Ah, but then it shall quickly be destroyed." 
 
 "Give it me back," she implored; "the Frau 
 Pastorin would be so angry if she knew." 
 
 "Schiller's poems," he ejaculated, in astonish- 
 ment. "There is no harm here. Why should the 
 Frau Pastorin be angry?" 
 
 "She might think I was wasting my time," said 
 the girl, very much relieved. "When I stoop 
 down to do much weeding, my limbs get very 
 cramped. Sometimes I take a little rest here 
 under this tree. There is no harm in reading a 
 little then, is there?" 
 
 She said it half timidly, half coaxingly, as if 
 afraid he might disagree with her. It moved him 
 so strongly, he could hardly refrain from kissing 
 the mouth which knew how to plead so sweetly. 
 
 "There is no harm in your reading while you 
 rest," he said quite seriously; "why should the 
 Frau Pastorin object?" 
 
72 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " She might think I ought to have my knitting 
 in my pocket instead of my book, and so I could, 
 of course. But then my fingers are too stiff to 
 hold the needles after weeding so long." 
 
 How sordid it all seemed. How he longed to 
 take her in his arms, kiss her, and love her, as 
 mother nature had so evidently intended she 
 should be kissed and loved, this, her pet child. 
 The melancholy which always shared the delight 
 he had in looking at her overcame him now, when 
 he reflected that this humdrum, obscure life might 
 be her portion, married to some horrible under- 
 bred fellow, who saw in her only a desirable, good- 
 wearing housekeeper. What would his father say 
 if he returned to his distant Hungarian home with 
 this beautiful, sweet young creature hanging on 
 his arm. His hot Magyar blood rushed to his 
 head; involuntarily his arm stole towards her. 
 She was humming a plaintive little tune, lacing 
 and interlacing her fingers in perfect contentment 
 of mind. 
 
 "What is that you are singing?" he asked. 
 He did not expect an answer. He wanted to hear 
 the sound of his own voice. 
 
 "'Tis a little Jewish hymn," she said. "Is it 
 not quaint and grand? It is only sung on the 
 high holidays that come once a year." 
 
 His madness was over. He, the Catholic, she, 
 the Jewess 't was an abyss he was about to hurl 
 himself into. And yet the pity of it. Invol- 
 untarily he took her hand, and smoothed and patted 
 it as if he wanted to console her. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 73 
 
 "Nay," he said, "did I ever see such a beauti- 
 ful hand ! so slim and perfectly formed, the fingers 
 arched and tapering at the top, nails rosy as 
 cupid's bow and shaped like the heart .of a hind. 
 'T is the hand of a goddess. 'T is the most beau- 
 tiful hand in the world. Why do you not wear 
 gloves to protect them ? See ; they are all burnt 
 red from the sun." 
 
 She looked at her hands in astonishment, not 
 unmixed with gratified vanity. No one had ever 
 told her they were beautiful. Hands were made 
 to work with, and not to spare themselves at that. 
 
 " Gloves to work in!" she said; "I have none 
 to spare for that." 
 
 "You shall have all mine," he said. "They 
 will be just the right thing. It is quite what you 
 want. Long and loose, to move your hands in 
 freely." 
 
 "No, no," she said, "I could not think of that. 
 But if you have any old ones those that are past 
 darning, I shall be glad " 
 
 "I have heaps of them," he said. He was fib- 
 bing, but it was no sin to impose on her childish 
 credulity. He had a whole box full he had never 
 used. The doctor was also well provided, he 
 knew. He inly resolved to make a raid on them. 
 He would not spare him one pair. She should 
 have every one of them. It gave him unalloyed 
 pleasure that even in so trivial a matter he could 
 provide for her. He kissed the hands he had 
 praised, and put the rosy finger-tips into his 
 mouth. 
 
74 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Which finger do you like best? " he asked. 
 
 "This one," she said, indicating the third finger 
 of the left hand. 
 
 For a moment he was staggered. Was she, 
 after all, a consummate coquette? But her hand 
 lay within his quite passive. Her blue eyes looked 
 at him seriously. 
 
 "Why?" he asked. 
 
 "Because my mother used to put my fingers 
 into her mouth, as you did just now. No one 
 has ever done so. I had quite forgotten it till 
 you reminded me. This finger she would always 
 pretend to bite, and laugh at my terror." 
 
 "Is that the only reason? " 
 
 "Surely, yes. How could there be any other? " 
 
 She did not know, then, that it really was the 
 ring finger. He had great ado to restrain himself 
 from kissing her, he was so charmed with her 
 simplicity. 
 
 "See here," he said, drawing a wide, flat hoop 
 of dull black from his little finger; "this circlet, 
 unpretentious as it is, bears invaluable recollec- 
 tions for me. With it are entwined the dearest, 
 sweetest memories of my youth and childhood. 
 'T is an antique which has been in my family for 
 generations, and has descended from father to son. 
 Will you wear it on this finger, this one you 
 like the best, and sometimes think of me when I 
 am far away?" 
 
 "It does not require any reminder," she said, 
 smiling through her gathering tears, "to make me 
 do that. But I will wear it gladly, as something 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 75 
 
 treasured by yourself; and I will never part with 
 it as long as I live." 
 
 It really was so small and looked so insignifi- 
 cant, with the funny hieroglyphics engraved all 
 over it, she had no hesitation about accepting it. 
 Yet when he placed it on her finger, it showed in 
 sharp contrast against her white hand. She fell 
 to admiring it immensely, and turned it round and 
 round. 
 
 "'T is the first ring I have ever had," she said. 
 "I had no idea it would look so pretty." 
 
 "I will return," he said, strongly moved, "and 
 replace it with another." Then he thought of the 
 Countess Irma, and gave a great gulp. 
 
 The girl beside him felt her heart thump like 
 a sledge-hammer. She jumped up, startled and 
 confused. 
 
 " Heavens ! It is time to go home, and my gar- 
 den is not half finished. I shall be finely scolded." 
 
 "That you never shall be. Come, I will help 
 you. In two minutes all will be done." 
 
 Laughing like children, they began such a fierce 
 onslaught on the weeds that in a very short time 
 hardly one remained. Then Hans, who had 
 stripped off his coat, got the rake, and made a 
 neat pile of them, and threw them into the wheel- 
 barrow, ready to be carted away. He enlivened 
 his work with so many droll sallies that Jette's 
 laughter rang out incessantly, to which the song 
 of the birds lent a joyous accompaniment. 
 
 "You have not yet told me," she said, "how 
 you came here." 
 
76 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "I gave the Herr Doctor the slip. While he 
 was toiling up the mountain to Hermersdorff, 
 imagining me trudging behind him, I dodged 
 through the woods and came here. Bah! 'T is his 
 business to find out whether the Fraulein has 
 returned. He is more interested in her than 
 I am." 
 
 "Do you think," said Jette quite anxiously, 
 "that Fraulein Thekla likes him? " 
 
 "Likes him?" he repeated. "Dear child, as 
 many separate hairs as the doctor grows on his 
 mossy scalp, so many separate times does Fraulein 
 von Hermersdorff worship him, each time more 
 fervently than the other." 
 
 Jette drew a deep breath. "I am sure he must 
 be very fond of her also," she said, as if half to 
 herself. 
 
 "The doctor! Oh, he's a codfish! I fancy 
 he likes her well enough according to his fashion. 
 If nothing else, his vanity must be touched, as 
 any man's is bound to be, when a pretty woman 
 shows undisguisedly how she adores him." 
 
 "He is a very disagreeable, repellant man," 
 said Jette severely, "and not at all worthy to be 
 loved by such a lovely young lady as Fraulein von 
 Hermersdorff. I am sorry she could not bestow 
 her affection on some one more amiable than he." 
 
 "What a severe arraignment!" said Hans, not 
 ill pleased she should be so hard upon his friend; 
 "so you do not like the doctor? " 
 
 She threw up her lips disdainfully. 
 
 "Oh," she said indifferently, "I dare say he is 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 77 
 
 quite attractive to some people. I hope lie will 
 stay away so long I shall have forgotten all about 
 him. I never want to meet again any one I dis- 
 like half as much." 
 
 She picked up her basket and her sunbonnet. 
 "Now," she said, "you see that cherry-tree yonder, 
 in the orchard? No, not that one, but the one a 
 little to the left, loaded down with the big oxheart 
 cherries? You may climb it and fill my basket. 
 Then we will go home." 
 
 "Where is my coat?" said Hans, looking 
 around. They both looked and searched, but no 
 coat was to be seen. 
 
 "Never mind," said Hans, laughing; "we will 
 return like those ideal harvesters one sees in pic- 
 tures, you in your sunbonnet, carrying the 
 cherries, and I in my shirt-sleeves, with the rake 
 over my shoulder." 
 
 Jette, who was greatly distressed, and could 
 not account for the loss of the coat, still spied 
 earnestly around. Then she gave a little cry. 
 "Look," she said, pointing towards the orchard. 
 
 There dangled the coat, suspended from the 
 topmost branch of the cherry-tree. 
 
 "Who has done this?" exclaimed the young 
 Baron von Czechy. 
 
 Then they both ran towards the tree, and there 
 sat the doctor, high up near the coat, grinning 
 down upon them through the ripe fruit and green 
 leaves. 
 
 "What do you think of my scarecrow?" he 
 said. 
 
78 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "So it was thou, thou rascal?" cried Hans, 
 laughing; "throw me down my coat, please." 
 
 "Thou wilt have to ransom it first," said the 
 doctor. 
 
 " Willingly. What dost thou claim ? " 
 
 "That Jettchen shall climb up and get it." 
 
 "I certainly will, with pleasure," she cried, 
 turning rosy red. 
 
 " Fraulein Jettchen, you ! Never will I permit 
 it. Surely you cannot climb that tree," cried 
 Hans angrily; "let the coat stay where it is." 
 
 "If thou hadst seen," said the doctor, "what 
 I saw the other day, thou wouldst not be quite 
 so alarmed. H'm ! It lent an extra zest to the 
 cherries, I assure thee." 
 
 "Stand off, Herr von Czechy," said Jette. "I 
 will get your coat." She put her foot on the tree, 
 and swung herself up with an ease and agility 
 which scarcely caused a flutter of her petticoats. 
 Hans saw her face glowing among the leaves, then 
 his coat alighted at his feet. 
 
 "Well done," said the doctor; "now downward, 
 march!" 
 
 "Herr Doctor," said Jette, "the limb is giving 
 way. It is not strong enough to hold us both." 
 
 "I am waiting for you to go down," said the 
 doctor. 
 
 "Then we shall both break our necks," she 
 said. She held on to the topmost branch. Her 
 body swayed to and fro. She met the doctor's 
 eyes coldly. 
 
 "Will you go down! " he commanded sternly. 
 
t 
 
 A TENT OF GRACE 79 
 
 "I will fling myself down," she said. "Your 
 parents shall not see you crippled, perhaps killed, 
 on my account." 
 
 "Stop! " he cried. He slid down as if whipped 
 by the Furies. Prone upon his face he fell, pull- 
 ing his friend down with him. 
 
 It seemed an eternity before they heard her 
 laughing voice close beside them. "Now we will 
 go home." 
 
 "Maria! " said Hans; "what a fright you gave 
 us! Are you really unhurt? " 
 
 The doctor walked up to the tree. The limb 
 on which she had stood lay upon the ground. It 
 was snapped in two. 
 
 "I must fill my basket," she said. 
 
 "Come away," said Hans, with a shudder. 
 "When I think of your narrow escape, I shall 
 never be able to bear the sight of cherries again." 
 
 He took her empty basket, and turned to go. 
 The doctor lingered a moment behind. He hastily 
 broke off a small twig of the broken branch, and 
 slipped it into his pocket. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 WHEN . Hans von Czechy threw open his case- 
 ment early the next morning, he heard Minka 
 purring on the path below. Wherever Minka was, 
 Jette was never far off. He hurriedly splashed 
 the cold water over himself, dressed, and went 
 down to join her. Jette had charge of the poultry 
 
80 A TENT OF GRACE* 
 
 yard, and she was there, feeding her feathered 
 friends. The chickens surrounded her, squabbling 
 and fighting for the biggest share, just as if they 
 were human. She held a little switch in her hand 
 to drive back a big, quarrelsome old gobbler. 
 
 "Now, Patriarch," she said," make way for the 
 rest of thy tribe. Thou hast gobbled enough for 
 six. Thy crop is so full thou art fit to choke. 
 Still thou art not satisfied. There thou stemmest 
 thy broad shoulders and plumest thyself, till none 
 can approach within an ell of thee. Greedy, 
 thou ! Thou canst do no more than satisfy thyself. 
 Back back, I tell thee ! Approach, my children, 
 approach! do not be afraid of him. There is a 
 mightier power than he, which will see that you get 
 your rightful share. For shame, Patriarch ! thou 
 posest as a philanthropist, and wouldst devour the 
 whole." 
 
 She put some corn between her lips. At this, 
 as at a signal, a swarm of pigeons fluttered down 
 upon her. Wherever they could find a place they 
 perched. Upon her head, her arms, her shoul- 
 ders, all bending eagerly downward, and up, to 
 take the food from her lips. They swarmed over 
 Minka, who sat immovable, and let them ferret 
 out some stray grains which were scattered among 
 her fur. The big tabby seemed to enjoy it im- 
 mensely. She blinked her eyes, and purred as 
 benevolently as if she and the pigeons were of the 
 same family. Suddenly she gave a great bound, 
 which scattered them right and left. A great 
 black cat, with gleaming green eyes, had slunk 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 81 
 
 near, stealthy as a fox. In a moment Minka was 
 upon her. Then there arose an uproar of snarls 
 and hisses, a digging of claws, which made even 
 the Patriarch forget his greed and his dignity, 
 and with the rest of his tribe beat a safe retreat. 
 Like all fierce encounters, it was short and deci- 
 sive. A great deal of fur was left on the ground; 
 but it was not Minka' s. She returned to her 
 former place, blinking her eyes as if nothing had 
 happened, licking her fore-paws with a great look 
 of disgust. She wanted to purge herself from the 
 unclean attack of the enemy. The chickens re- 
 turned, the pigeons came back. All was as it had 
 been before. 
 
 "That was Gret's cat," said Jette to Hans, who 
 had enjoyed the encounter hugely. "She comes 
 here every day, trying to kill our pigeons. Nasty 
 creature! See how she goes limping over that 
 fence. She can hardly drag herself along. I 
 should think she would stay away, when she knows 
 she gets so unmercifully mauled each time. But 
 she always comes back. Some day our Minka 
 will kill her." 
 
 "Does she treat all interlopers that way?" 
 asked Hans. 
 
 "Oh, no. The others never attempt to inter- 
 fere with Minka. They have a great respect for 
 her. They know how strong and vigilant she is. 
 But this nasty creature will not keep away. She 
 is as spiteful as her mistress. Do you know, I 
 think that animals partake of the characteristics 
 of their owners ? Again and again she will return 
 
82 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 to the attack. She is as pertinacious as she is 
 vicious. Then, too, she is a born thief. She is 
 always prowling around our meat safe. One day 
 she will get her proper deserts. Then both Minka 
 and I will be glad." 
 
 She stroked and kissed her favorite pigeons, 
 cooed to them, reassuringly scattered another 
 handful of grain, and leaving Minka in charge, 
 went to cut some roses for the breakfast-table. 
 Hans walked beside her, singing the Kossuth 
 March. He carried his stick like a baton, with 
 which he beat time with fiery energy. His shoul- 
 ders swayed gracefully in even rhythm. Every- 
 thing Hans did was done with the lightness and 
 ease which comes from early and constant associa- 
 tion with high-bred people. He was so happy this 
 radiant morning, he might have known Fate had 
 a rod in pickle for him. The wicked rascal, with 
 a great show of assisting her, ran innumerable 
 thorns into his fingers, which, of course, she had to 
 pull out. He paraded his sufferings with so much 
 ludicrousness while she prodded the needle into 
 his flesh that, convulsed with laughter, she made 
 him scream out more than once in real earnest. 
 Meantime, he looked into her eyes far oftener 
 than was just to the Countess Irma, whose future 
 happiness came very near trembling in the balance. 
 Then the measured tones of the doctor's voice fell 
 upon their ears. 
 
 "There are letters awaiting thee, Hans," he 
 said, " important documents from home. The 
 carrier has just brought them from thy bankers at 
 Cologne." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 83 
 
 The Magyar's swarthy face flushed darkly. 
 "Cannot I be left one minute alone! " he said pet- 
 tishly. He glared at his friend as if he would 
 gladly annihilate him, and, bowing to Jette, strode 
 towards the house. 
 
 She had picked up her scissors, and bent her 
 blushing face assiduously over the roses. With 
 all her heart and soul she was wishing that hor- 
 rible doctor would go. But no. He remained. 
 And she knew that he was looking at her. What 
 made him stay? Was he going to reprimand her 
 for wasting her time ? 
 
 44 Jettchen," he said. 
 
 She started in sheer surprise. Like his father, 
 he always called her Jettchen. But he did not 
 use the familiar "thou," as the rest of the family 
 did. He had always been distant and formal, 
 scrupulously polite, as he might have been to an 
 outside acquaintance. Now there was a tone in 
 his voice which came straight from the heart. She 
 stared at him in astonishment. 
 
 "See here," he said, drawing a small volume 
 from his pocket; "I took this just now from the 
 kitchen table when I went to look for you. Bab- 
 bett said she had found it under your pillow. Do 
 you think my mother would be pleased to find you 
 reading Heine ? " 
 
 It was worse than she thought. That treacher- 
 ous Babbett ! Wait ! She should be paid out for 
 this. 
 
 She looked at him with frightened eyes. "I 
 have read worse books than that," she stammered 
 confusedly. 
 
84 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Oh, indeed! Does my mother know that 
 also?" 
 
 "You have not told the FrauPastorin? " she 
 said, in agony. 
 
 "Make yourself easy. I am not a tale-bearing 
 schoolboy." She looked at him gratefully. "No. 
 Perhaps I 'm not quite as bad as you think. I 
 have not told her yet." 
 
 At the emphasis he put upon the last word, she 
 started again in alarm. She folded her hands like 
 a child beseeching pardon. 
 
 "What shall I do?" she said; "please do not 
 tell her. I will do anything in the world for you, 
 if you will not." She saw his eyes twinkle and 
 the corners of his mouth twitch under his long, 
 blonde mustache. "I don't care if you do," she 
 burst out inconsequently. 
 
 "Oh, yes, you do," he said; "you do care a 
 great deal. You are frightened to death. I can 
 just tell to a beat how rapidly your pulses are gal- 
 loping. Your heart is frozen with terror. You 
 are agonized to think that all your charming con- 
 traband reading will come to an end. And the 
 lecture you will get. Brrr! Mammachen can 
 lecture, you know, when she is wound up for it." 
 
 The spiteful creature ! There he stood with his 
 six-foot odd inches, shoulders like an athlete, and 
 chest like a Greek god, and mocked her with his 
 aggravating brown eyes! He dwindled to the 
 most contemptible proportions in her estimation. 
 
 "That is true," she said, shivering. "My 
 Heaven!" she cried, bouncing round so furiously 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 85 
 
 he involuntarily took a step backward, "what do 
 you want of me, then?" 
 
 "Tell me what you have read of Heine," he 
 said, with sparkling eyes, "and I won't tell." 
 
 "I won't," she said, pouting her lips. It was 
 a trick she had, and a dangerously enticing one. 
 She opened her eyes very wide. "I have read him 
 all," she said, with great complacency. 
 
 He laughed till the hills reechoed. "Buy my 
 silence," he said. His fair face bent very near 
 her own. She could feel his breath caressing her 
 neck. With a gesture of repugnance she drew 
 back. He flushed vividly. 
 
 " Give me one of those rosebuds," he said. "No, 
 not that one, this one just opening its first shy 
 leaves to the kisses of the sun." 
 
 "You are easily satisfied," she said gayly; "of 
 course you shall have it." 
 
 "Put it to your lips," he said. 
 
 "And brush the dew off? No, no, 'twere a 
 sin to do that. Here, take it take it with all 
 its native fragrance moist upon it." 
 
 The doctor took it silently. He looked at the 
 rosebud. He looked at her. 
 
 "Here is your book," he said. 
 
 She took it gladly, and hid it under the roses in 
 her basket. Then they both went in to breakfast. 
 The doctor's rosebud had disappeared. 
 
86 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 BABBETT had just placed the silver coffee ser- 
 vice upon the table. But no one paid any atten- 
 tion to it. A lively discussion was going on be- 
 tween the Herr Pastor, the Frau Pastorin, and 
 Hans von Czechy. The young baron's face was 
 flushed. He was walking up and down, in strong 
 agitation, rumpling his black curls as he went. 
 
 "'Tis all over," he said forlornly, when his 
 friend came in; "brother -heart, we have to pack 
 up and be going." 
 
 "Is that why you are all so wrought up?" 
 inquired the doctor. 
 
 "Fritz," said the Frau Pastorin, "how canst 
 thou talk with so much levity ? Is it not enough 
 to wring our hearts to see thee and thy friend go 
 hence ? But that is not what we are discussing. 
 There is a large sum of money awaiting the Herr 
 Baron's disposal at his banker's at Cologne. How 
 is he to get it? " 
 
 "Fetch it," said the doctor laconically. 
 
 "Thou forgettest, my son," said his father, 
 "that you are both secluded here. 'T will never 
 do to show yourselves in your accustomed haunts. 
 'T is just as well this urgent summons has come to 
 the Herr Baron. Freiherr von Czechy, his father, 
 is alarmed, and justly so. You are both of you 
 far safer away for the present. But the Herr 
 Baron needs the money for his journey. Some 
 accredited person must go and fetch it. " 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 87 
 
 "Papa cannot go," said the Frau Pastorin; "it 
 would arouse comment. Equally so if I went. 
 Yet it must be some one perfectly reliable. Now 
 who is there whom we can trust with this delicate 
 mission? " 
 
 Jette, who had arranged her bouquet on the 
 table, said timidly, 
 
 "I will go." 
 
 "Thou, Henriette!" exclaimed the Frau Pas- 
 torin. 
 
 "You, Fraulein Jettchen! " repeated Hans. 
 
 "You, Jettchen! " echoed the doctor. 
 
 They all stared at her, as at some new revela- 
 tion. The pastor said nothing, but passed his 
 thin, white hand over his slightly bald crown. 
 
 She blushed furiously, but said with courage, 
 "I will go, if you think I can do it." 
 
 "But, child," said the Frau Pastorin, "thou 
 hast never been away from home. How wilt thou 
 find thy way alone in a strange city?" 
 
 "I will never allow it," said Hans. 
 
 " 'T is not to be thought of," said the doctor. 
 
 " 'T is an errand which requires a great deal of 
 circumspection and secrecy," said the pastor; "one; 
 careless word might lead to discovery and ruin. 
 'Twill be necessary to depart with the greatest 
 caution, and to come back the same way. Thou 
 canst talk freely enough to Herr Goldman, the 
 banker, for he knows everything. But to any 
 outsider t would be productive of the greatest 
 danger. Added to this, thou wilt have to spend 
 the night alone among strange surroundings. 
 Dost think thou canst do this? " 
 
88 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Yes," she said, with sparkling eyes; "and 
 keep my own counsel besides. I am not afraid. 
 I will do it gladly." 
 
 "I think thou wilt," said the pastor kindly; 
 "thou needest not spend the night among stran- 
 gers. I will give thee the address of an old friend, 
 who will take good care of thee. Only, not a 
 word to any one." 
 
 But Hans and the doctor broke into a torrent 
 of protests. 'T was not to be thought of. No, 
 no ! She was far too young to send on such an 
 errand alone. What! were they, men, to sit at 
 home, and let a young and lovely girl Here the 
 Frau Pas tor in signed Jette to leave the room. 
 
 "A young and lovely girl," exploded Hans, 
 "beautiful enough to attract the eye of the most 
 casual observer, to run Heaven knows into what 
 danger! No, no! Sooner than that, Jet matters 
 take their course." 
 
 "Herr Baron," said the pastor calmly, "Jett- 
 chen is a child, courageous and guileless as one. 
 She has the wit and circumspection of a woman. 
 There is no one I would sooner trust." 
 
 So, then, it was settled. Jette was called in to 
 breakfast, and the matter fully arranged. She 
 was to meet the mail coach a mile or two from 
 the village, and so go on to Cologne, which she 
 would reach early in the evening. She was to 
 proceed direct to the house of the pastor's friend, 
 and after spending the night there, visit the bank- 
 ing-house of Goldman & Son early the following 
 morning. Then, having transacted her business, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 89 
 
 she was to return the next day by the regular 
 coach. The most minute instructions were given 
 her about the care of the money and her creden- 
 tials. 
 
 "Thou wilt take care of thyself, Liebchen," 
 whispered Hans tenderly, when she was ready to 
 depart. 
 
 "Of course," she laughed; "no one will eat 
 me." She went, full of happy exuberance of 
 spirits. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 IN the early fifties, the house of Goldman & 
 Son stood high among the foremost and most 
 powerful banking-houses in Europe. The shabby, 
 old-fashioned brick pile in the Hochstrasse seemed 
 to shake hands with its neighbor across the nar- 
 row, dirty street. There was an air of mysterious 
 importance about this musty pile, where the des- 
 tinies of many powerful personages were arranged 
 as on a chess-board. It struck a chill to the heart 
 of the little country girl as she mounted the steps, 
 worn with innumerable footprints of time. Her 
 courage almost failed her when she entered the 
 large square counting-room, where several clerks 
 bent over their desks, too busy to see who entered. 
 Her voice stuck in her throat, as for the second 
 time she repeated her request to see Herr Gold- 
 man. A small, dark man, with a shaven lip and 
 strongly marked aquiline features, looked up. He 
 
90 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 stared at her in a manner which was not calcu- 
 lated to restore her confidence. 
 
 "Herr Goldman? Which one? The elder 
 Herr Goldman or the younger?" 
 
 Her confusion increased. She did not know, 
 she said desperately. She wanted to see the Herr 
 Banquier. 
 
 Ah, indeed! Well, then, she must state her 
 errand. It was not usual for either of the bankers 
 to see strangers unless they sent in their name, 
 and distinctly stated their business. 
 
 By this time at least twelve pairs of eyes were 
 focused on her, as if she were a camera, and they 
 all had to stare unblinkingly to get photographed. 
 Twelve pairs of eyes, all young, all dark, and 
 brimming over with mischief and self-assurance. 
 
 "It must be Herr Julius Goldman the young 
 Fraulein wishes to see," said one young clerk, 
 with a discreet smile. "Doubtless the Fraulein 
 is a relative?" 
 
 Brilliant idea! Of course! What a splendid 
 fellow! She could have hugged him for it. She 
 wondered why he winked at the rest, and why 
 those twelve dark, aquiline-featured countenances 
 should simultaneously blossom out into exactly 
 the same length and breadth of a grin. 
 
 "To be sure," she said eagerly; "yes, indeed. 
 A relative, of course." She could have laughed 
 in the excess of her relief. 
 
 "Some one whom he has not seen for a long 
 time?" asked the same young man. 
 
 She nodded vivaciously. The young imps 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 91 
 
 :. 
 
 looked at each other, and again that grin popped 
 out, if possible, broader than before. 
 
 "I beg you will be seated, honored Fraulein. 
 I go to announce you to Herr Julius Goldman." 
 
 In passing, he said something to his neighbor, 
 who snickered audibly. In a moment he was 
 back, and motioned her to follow. Immensely 
 relieved, yet her heart palpitating violently, she 
 followed him across a dark, narrow, uncarpeted 
 passage, at the end of which was a massive oaken 
 door. This door he opened noiselessly, as noise- 
 lessly placed a chair for her, said, " The gracious 
 lady, Herr Julius Goldman," in a deferential, 
 muffled voice, and quickly disappeared. 
 
 At the farther end of the square, dingy room, 
 before a ponderous desk, sat a squat, broad-shoul- 
 dered man. His back was turned towards her; 
 but the strong light from the large uncurtained 
 window fell full upon his red hair, of that pecu- 
 liarly flaming, repulsive color which instinctively 
 inspires one with distrust. It was sleek and brit- 
 tle, and cut very close to the scalp; but unfor- 
 tunately, little as there was, there was too much 
 of it, carefully brushed and combed as it was, so 
 that each hair seemed to be in its right place. 
 Either he was too engrossed to notice her, or he 
 had not heard the low voice of the clerk as he 
 announced her. The young girl grew hot and 
 cold by turns as the interminable scratching of 
 the pen continued. After a while it was energet- 
 ically flung aside, Herr Goldman said, "So," and 
 slightly moved in his chair. The girl's heart 
 
92 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 * 
 
 thumped wildly ; now at last he would turn round 
 and see her. But no. The banker stemmed his 
 elbows on his desk, and meditated, while he ner- 
 vously bit his finger-nails. She sat so mute she 
 scarcely dared breathe. What should she do? 
 Should she cough ? Walk boldly up to him and 
 say, "Here, you man, your business doubtless is 
 very important to you, but mine is equally so to 
 me. I may be very small and insignificant com- 
 pared to your mightiness. But I have a trust to 
 perform; it is getting near dinner-time; I am 
 hungry; I want to look at the shops before I go 
 home. What ! No matter how great and power- 
 ful you are, you can't eat me. So there, you 
 horrid, unmannerly creature. I 'm going to pull 
 the cobwebs from your mind by kicking over this 
 stool or yourself, I don't care which." 
 
 She had just pulled the papers with which she 
 was intrusted from her bosom, desperate enough 
 to carry out her resolve, when suddenly Herr 
 Goldman, as if in answer to some invisible query, 
 said very decidedly, "Quatch," pushed the ledger 
 from him, and turned round. The rays of the 
 noonday sun fell subdued through the grimy win- 
 dow panes. Like a loving benediction they en- 
 circled the young girl where she stood, in her 
 light delaine summer dress, her large leghorn hat 
 pushed from her brow, her cheeks flushed, the 
 deep violet of her eyes almost black with excite- 
 ment. The banker grasped hold of the back of 
 his chair, and stared at her as if she had de- 
 scended from the skies, and he momentarily ex- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 93 
 
 pected to see her vanish. His confusion gave her 
 confidence. She was as "ready to go off as a 
 popgun," now, as Babbett would have expressed 
 it. Advancing fearlessly, she made a sweet little 
 curtsy, the grace of which was partly acquired 
 and all the rest her own, placed the papers in his 
 hands, and waited. One rapid glance he gave at 
 them, then he looked back at her. In fact, he 
 preferred to look at her. 
 
 "What must you think of me? " he stammered; 
 "but this is unheard of. How long have you 
 been here, gracious Fraulein? " 
 
 "Quite long enough to feel hungry," she said 
 demurely. 
 
 "Heavens! Fraulein, you I will ring 
 everything in the town shall be at your disposal 
 - the finest the best " 
 
 He caught sight of her quizzical face and twitch- 
 ing lips. No, she could hold out no longer. The 
 relief to her feelings after her long wait, coupled 
 with his consternation at her ridiculous answer, 
 was so great, if it had cost her her life, she would 
 have had to laugh. She burst into such a ringing 
 peal as surely the grim old building had never 
 heard. The ghosts of gone and departed genera- 
 tions of Goldmans must have been scandalized at 
 such unheard-of levity. For Jette's merriment 
 came straight from the heart, it had the true, 
 spontaneous ring of contagious mirth; not your 
 smothered, snickering ghost of a ladylike laugh. 
 Like a joyous peal of bells it rang out, pure, 
 resonant, and full, gladdening the spirit, and 
 
94 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 bringing an answering refrain from the lips of 
 the most pessimistic. 
 
 The banker's face flushed dusky red. Then he 
 fell in with her laughter. Indeed, how could he 
 help it? Who would not join in mirth at once 
 so gladsome and sweet? The fresh, pure breezes 
 of her native hills she brought with her, rarifying 
 the atmosphere of this musty old place. 
 
 "Really," she said, "I am ashamed of my bad 
 manners. I beg your pardon a thousand times. 
 I have not been here so very long, I dare say. 
 Only when one is in a strange place, and wait- 
 ing" 
 
 "Yes, yes," he interrupted eagerly, "that is 
 just what I want to know. I heard no one an- 
 nounce you. Some one came in and said, 'A lady 
 wants to see you, a relation. ' I have so many 
 relations good Heavens ! they pester my life out. 
 To tell you the truth I thought it was my grand- 
 mother!" 
 
 "Oh! " she said. She tried to look very sym- 
 pathetic. Then the idea of being his grandmother 
 overcame her so completely, she had to laugh 
 again. And so had he. 
 
 "You see," he said, in high good humor, "how 
 it is. A man has no peace anywhere. If they 
 cannot catch me at home, they are always sure 
 of finding me here. My grandmamma well! 
 she is an estimable old lady, oh, very, but she 
 plagues the life out of me. I say it without any 
 disrespect to her. It is always, 'Julius, thou 
 shouldst not do this. Julius, thou must stop 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 95 
 
 that. ' She thinks I am still a little boy, to order 
 around at her pleasure. To her I have never 
 grown up. She means well, of course; but one 
 can kill one with good intentions." 
 
 He threw out his white, slightly freckled hands, 
 in graceful gesticulation. When he rose, she no- 
 ticed he had a club foot. He was quite a young 
 man yet, perhaps twenty-eight, but already 
 showed signs of baldness. Herr Goldman had 
 the dissipated appearance of the finished blase 
 man of the world. He had the fair, freckled 
 complexion of the red-head, prominent dark eyes, 
 with a gold ring around the iris, set very near 
 each other, bristling red eyebrows, a bull neck, 
 fat, puffy cheeks, and a rotund, squat figure. His 
 features were of a decidedly Oriental cast, large, 
 firm, and strongly animal from the high massive 
 forehead to the wide, thick lips. His chin was 
 dimpled like a woman's, and somewhat softened 
 the cold sensuality of his face. His dress was 
 careful to elegance, and spite of his deformity, he 
 moved with the ease and nonchalance of a well- 
 bred, cultivated man. 
 
 He referred to the papers in his hand. "The 
 Herr Baron," he said, "is stopping at the parson- 
 age, which is your home also, I think, Fraulein ? " 
 
 "Yes," she said. "The Herr Pastor told me I 
 could talk quite unreservedly to you. But I think 
 he explains everything in his letter." 
 
 " Quite explicitly. And so you are Fraulein 
 Fraulein " - 
 
 " Jettchen." She smiled. 
 
96 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Ah! the baron is fortunate to have found such 
 a haven of refuge. But pardon I do not think 
 I quite caught your name? " 
 
 "Everybody calls me Jettchen," she said, "ex- 
 cept the Frau Pastorin. She calls me by my full 
 name. To the villagers I am Jette." 
 
 He shuddered theatrically. "What a profana- 
 tion ! What impudent familiarity ! Not to show 
 you the respect of calling you by your last name ! " 
 
 She stared. She had quite forgotten she was 
 entitled to any. There never had seemed any 
 occasion to use it. 
 
 "Oh," she said, "they all have known me so 
 long. It would seem strange to myself to be 
 called Fraulein Cajena." 
 
 She said it with mock dignity. Then she had 
 to laugh. It sounded so odd to her. 
 
 "Ah!" he exclaimed delightedly, "I thought 
 so. You are one of our people." 
 
 "I am a Jewess," she said. 
 
 He looked at her with tender interest. "I was 
 in doubt at first; you have none of the signs what- 
 ever. But there is an indefinite something which 
 speaks to the blood, I suppose. How delightful ! 
 And so you have grown up in perfect seclusion, 
 hidden away from all the world like a rare trea- 
 sure." 
 
 He looked at her with glowing insistence. He 
 passed his plump, white, exceedingly well-kept 
 hands one over the other, as if he were caressing 
 something. When he talked to her, as she was 
 accustomed to, and laughed when she laughed, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 97 
 
 she felt perfectly at ease. But now a feeling of 
 repulsion stirred her. 
 
 "The Herr and Frau Pastorin have brought 
 me up," she said. "I am an orphan, and had no 
 home. I owe everything to them." 
 
 She pulled herself up with a great shock. 
 Here she was, wasting her time, talking to this 
 stranger as if he were an old acquaintance. Nice, 
 prudent behavior, truly, in a well-brought up young 
 girl ! What would the Frau Pastorin say, if only 
 she knew? 
 
 "Sir," she said timidly, "if if you would not 
 mind" 
 
 "Oh," he said reassuringly, "everything is all 
 right. Herr von Czechy's draft shall be honored 
 in a twinkling. There are a few little formalities 
 to be gone through first. Pardon me just for one 
 moment." 
 
 He read her like a book. He knew she was 
 vexed and frightened. But he had no intention 
 of letting her go. He sat down at his desk, and 
 this is what he wrote : 
 
 DEAR MAMMA, A bird of paradise has just 
 alighted on my hand. Come and help me tame 
 it. JULIUS. 
 
 He addressed and sealed this. Then he sharply 
 rung a bell. 
 
 "This is to be taken to its address," he com- 
 manded, "as quickly as the messenger's legs can 
 carry him. Go fly! Stay! " he called out sud- 
 
98 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 denly, as the obsequious young clerk, who had 
 entered with a deep bow, was about to disappear; 
 "which of you blockheads announced the young 
 Fraulein?" 
 
 The young fellow looked as if he wished him- 
 self elsewhere. "Sir," he stammered "Herr 
 Goldman it was I I thought " 
 
 "Thought, thought! What didst thou think? 
 if such an ass as thou has any thought at all in 
 that clot of mud he calls his brain!" exclaimed 
 the banker furiously. 
 
 With a swift gesture Jette raised her hands. 
 Her face was flushed scarlet. The banker under- 
 stood her embarrassment. 
 
 "Go," he said, in such suddenly mild tones that 
 the trembling young man almost fell over himself 
 in his surprise. He scampered back to the outer 
 office, telling his colleagues, who were all dying 
 of curiosity, that they would catch it finely. The 
 young chief was in a Donnerwetter of a humor. 
 A nice mistake they had made, truly ! This was 
 none of his gallant amours. The young lady they 
 had treated with such disrespect was really a bona 
 fide relative. If they didn't believe him, just 
 see. He held out the missive addressed to Ma- 
 dame Goldman, the banker's mother. Then there 
 was consternation truly among the young Herren 
 in the large outer office of the banking-firm of 
 Goldman & Son. They looked at each other in 
 the deepest anguish of mind and remorse of soul. 
 
 "It was thou, Kohn, who commenced it," said 
 one young fellow reproachfully to the one who 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 99 
 
 had first spoken to Jette; "thou always hast such 
 wicked thoughts. Thou wouldst think evil of thy 
 own shadow." 
 
 "I! " retorted Kohn indignantly; "well, I must 
 say but that is grand ! Thou donkey, thou ! Did 
 not the whole lot of you, thy asinine self in- 
 cluded, stare at the young Fraulein, and whisper, 
 as if you had never seen anything else but asses 
 like yourselves?" 
 
 "That is right," said his fellow clerk scornfully; 
 " always place the blame where it does not be- 
 long." 
 
 "She probably is some relation from the coun- 
 try," suggested another. 
 
 "Bah! she is not a bit like a country pome- 
 granate. Anyway, the young chief is going to 
 distribute it again right and left. We had better 
 not have eyes or ears for anything but what 
 strictly concerns ourselves." 
 
 When, presently, Madame Goldman's carriage 
 dashed up to the curb, she found twelve backs 
 bending themselves almost double in obsequious 
 greeting, and twelve pairs of eyes furtively watch- 
 ing her rustling silks into her son's office. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 JETTE explained to Herr Goldman that the 
 young clerk was in no way to blame for announ- 
 cing her as a relative. Some one had suggested 
 the idea, and as she had been told it was exceed- 
 
100 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 ingly difficult to gain access to the private office 
 without stating one's business, she had gladly 
 availed herself of it. Herr Goldman half closed 
 his prominent dark eyes, smiled, and ejaculated 
 softly, " A relative ay, why not ? How charm- 
 ing, how perfectly charming! " But he was care- 
 ful not to pay her any more compliments, and to 
 put her perfectly at her ease, spoke to her as he 
 had at first, in the half -familiar, confident manner 
 one uses towards a child. So in a very short time 
 he had her whole history at his finger-tips, her 
 life at the parsonage, how she came there, her 
 daily duties, her whole routine of life. He was 
 very insistent to find out how long since it was 
 the doctor and his friend had come. His brow 
 darkened when he heard that it was fully three 
 weeks. 
 
 " What folly ! " he muttered. He looked at her 
 strangely. That two attractive young men, high- 
 bred and cultivated, and a heavenly creature like 
 this should have been constantly in each other's 
 society so long H'm! It was high time there 
 should be an end to it. 
 
 His mother entered, in high displeasure. 
 
 "Julius it really is inconceivable what mad 
 freak of thine is this now?" 
 
 Madame Goldman was short, dumpy, and pudgy, 
 with somewhat masculine features, but a strong 
 individuality of her own. She was dressed en- 
 tirely in black, rich, heavy silks, of the kind which 
 "stand alone." She was dark, very Oriental-look- 
 ing, and grande dame down to her fine Parisian 
 
A TENT OF G&ACE 
 
 iot 
 
 boots. A Viennese by birth, she had all the cul- 
 ture, vivacity, and ease of bearing which distin- 
 guish those Parisians of the Danube, and also 
 their fascinating little peculiarities of speech. She 
 was the chum and confidante of her son, and had 
 helped him out of scrapes more times than she 
 ever had boxed his ears. He was her only child, 
 and she had been his constant companion ever 
 since he outgrew a nurse's care. He smiled, and 
 enjoyed the surprise he had in store for her. 
 
 "Dear mamma," he said, "how kind of you to 
 come so quickly. See the young Fraulein. She 
 is a stranger to our city, and recommended to our 
 best care. Let me present you to my mother, 
 Fraulein Cajena." 
 
 Madame Goldman bowed somewhat distantly, 
 but with the easy grace of a thoroughly accom- 
 plished woman of the world. She looked at the 
 young girl with a great deal of interest, and far 
 more curiosity. Jette dropped her prettiest curtsy, 
 somewhat awed by the great lady's grand appear- 
 ance. The banker's mother smiled. "Very unso- 
 phisticated," she thought, "but, dear Heaven, how 
 lovely ! " She followed her son to the window, 
 where they carried on a very animated conversa- 
 tion in French. Mother and son spoke the lan- 
 guage like natives. Not in teutonized, halting 
 phrases, but the purest, most scholarly Parisian, 
 with here and there a gesture and a shrug, as if 
 they had spent all their lives in the city by the 
 Seine. Occasionally the grand lady gave a side 
 glance at the young girl, sitting expectantly in 
 
itba^ WlFENT OF GRACE 
 
 her chair, and she would ejaculate softly, "Est-ce 
 que possible ! " She nodded her head several 
 times, seemed somewhat astonished, but not wholly 
 displeased. The truth is, her son was making a 
 proposition to her, which, if she had not been his 
 best friend, he never would have dared to submit 
 to her. During his three years' absence in Paris 
 and one year in Vienna, he had confided all his 
 mad escapades to her. And let me tell you that 
 they were neither few in number nor tame in expe- 
 rience. She would storm, scold, and reprimand, 
 but through it all he was always sure of her 
 counsel and stanch loyalty. Madame Goldman 
 adored young people, and was idolized by them. 
 Only sixteen years older than her son, she was 
 both mother and companion to him. At the age 
 of fifteen she was married to her cousin, who was 
 just double her age. The union had been one 
 of financial policy, to combine the house of Gold- 
 man and her father's in a mutual interest. When 
 she married, she took all her dolls with her, and 
 found as much pleasure in dressing and undressing 
 them as if they were still the only claimants on 
 her affection. The first two or three years of her 
 married life were far from happy. When her 
 husband came home at night, weary with the 
 day's close mental application, he found the liv- 
 ing-rooms deserted. The servants did not know 
 where their mistress was, and the whole big house 
 had to be searched, till she was found in the attic, 
 playing with her dolls. In the mean time the 
 dinner had grown cold, the cook was out of temper, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 103 
 
 everybody did exactly as he or she pleased. 
 When her child was born, she came near to dying. 
 A nurse was provided. It was thought natural, 
 under the circumstances, she should not take any 
 notice of him; but things did not mend when 
 she recovered. She looked at the unsightly, de- 
 formed little object with profound astonishment. 
 He took after the red -headed, prominent-eyed 
 branch of the Goldman family. She did not like 
 this at all. If he had been more like herself, she 
 might more readily have taken to him. She left 
 him to his nurse, a robust, strapping peasant 
 woman, from whose bounteous breasts this young 
 hope of an opulent race greedily drew health and 
 substance. Fortunate for him it was that the 
 nurse was both conscientious and kind. While 
 the mother returned to her dolls and her music, 
 of which she was passionately fond, the child grew 
 up under the nurse's care. When her services 
 were no longer required in nourishing him, she 
 still stayed on. This continued until he was three 
 years old. Then he sickened, and the doctor said 
 it was scarlet fever of a virulent type. The house 
 was hushed, the most eminent professors were 
 summoned posthaste in consultation. The mother 
 tiptoed into the nursery and looked at the child, 
 tossing in his little crib, moaning in delirium, and 
 clutching the dry, parched throat. What passed 
 within her then, only herself and her God knew. 
 Like a tidal wave, the mother-instinct leapt into 
 life, so that she reeled and almost fell with the 
 magnitude of the revelation. She swept aside the 
 
104 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 nurse, and from that hour took her station beside 
 her child by right divine. Her husband and rela- 
 tives implored her not to expose herself to the 
 disease; she had never had it; she was so young. 
 Why, the nurse, of whom he was so fond, and 
 who had done mother's duty by him since he was 
 born, was far more competent to take care of him 
 than she, who had never had any experience at all 
 in nursing. She said nothing, but gave them one 
 long look, which silenced and overawed them, 
 shut herself up with her sick child and admitted 
 none but the doctors, and for nine frightful nights 
 and days matched her strength, her cleverness, 
 and her devotion against the fierce destroyer, and 
 smote him hip and thigh. Not till then did she 
 consent to take a sorely needed rest ; for not once 
 during all that time of watching had she removed 
 her clothing. When the child was fully recov- 
 ered, she sent the jealous, wrathful nurse who 
 from a servant had fancied herself mistress 
 back to her native village, loaded with presents 
 and every conceivable token of generosity. But 
 she would have no more of her, and took her 
 child, who clung to her with idolizing affection, to 
 the Bavarian Alps, where both grew so hardy and 
 strong that everybody was astonished when they 
 returned home. The dolls were swept into a big 
 cedar chest, and consigned to a corner in the attic. 
 There they awaited their resurrection in the com- 
 ing of a new and more appreciative generation. 
 But the chest gathered cobwebs, the dolls got 
 moth-eaten ; for those for whom they waited never 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 105 
 
 came. Poor, disappointed dollies! poor, disap- 
 pointed mistress ! The six girls and six boys, who 
 were to join in the sports of their elder brother, 
 patter up and down the grand staircase with their 
 little feet, and fill the big empty house with their 
 gleeful shouts and laughter, never came. And as 
 each year went by, with its longed-for hope unful- 
 filled, the mistress of all this wealth and grandeur 
 often looked in the glass, and saw only the shad- 
 ows of her forlorn hopes mocking her. This one 
 child remained to her, and it was all she had. 
 When at night she kissed him, it was for all the 
 six brothers and sisters she fancied she had de- 
 frauded him of. She thought the Lord had pun- 
 ished her for not appreciating the blessing he had 
 sent her at first. She bowed her head in submis- 
 sion, but she suffered cruelly. It drew mother 
 and son in bonds of the closest union, especially 
 as the father had become a perfect business ma- 
 chine. His son was his heir ; beyond that he had 
 very little in common with him. So the rich, 
 envied woman went her lonely way, and busied 
 herself with outside interests, and tried to fill the 
 big void in her heart by making the poor happy. 
 She wanted her son to marry, and to marry well. 
 The sole heir of the powerful house of Goldman 
 could have his pick and choice among the richest 
 and prettiest heiresses of Europe. She would 
 dandle his children on her knee. Thou dear God ! 
 how she would love them! They should be her 
 compensation; the dolls should have their new 
 companions yet. But here he was already eight- 
 
106 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 and-twenty, and showed no more inclination to 
 marry than when he was in his teens. Several 
 very desirable alliances had been proposed to him, 
 
 desirable even from the Goldman point of view, 
 
 but he had scouted every one, until both she 
 and his father were on the point of losing patience. 
 
 She looked at the lovely creature, whose history 
 he was relating in a few rapid words, as if she 
 had fallen from the skies. Her son had had fan- 
 cies before, serious ones, she had feared at times, 
 but there was a glow on his face, a flash in his 
 eye, which told her his time had come. He did 
 not, of course, tell her this. But he scarcely 
 would have proposed she should take this heavenly 
 messenger under her protection during the rest 
 of her stay, if he had not some other and very 
 serious motive in the background. The girl was 
 lovely, undeniably so. She was of the same faith 
 as themselves, though brought up under peculiar 
 circumstances. But this only added to the inter- 
 est every one must feel in her. H'm ! It might 
 have been worse. Suppose he had fallen in love, 
 as she so often had feared, with some one of an- 
 other faith? He was so advanced in his views, so 
 very headstrong, besides, he was quite old enough 
 to be master of his own actions. If he wanted 
 to marry a poor girl, he was quite rich enough to 
 indulge in the luxury. He would have to settle 
 that matter with his father. Madame Goldman 
 turned towards Jette. 
 
 "Dear child," she said, in that caressing man- 
 ner she always adopted towards young people, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 107 
 
 "my son has told me everything, and why you 
 are here. Now that your business is finished, you 
 must give the rest of the day to me. But first let 
 us go home and have luncheon." 
 
 "You are too good too kind," stammered 
 Jette, terribly confused. "I I hope you do not 
 take seriously what I said to Herr Goldman." 
 
 The banker's face beamed. "You told me you 
 were hungry," he said. 
 
 "And you took me for your grandmother," she 
 retorted. Then they all three looked at each 
 other, and burst into peals of laughter. And so, 
 in gay good humor, they passed out by a private 
 door, and were driven to the banker's palatial 
 home. And the twelve young Herren in the outer 
 office rushed pell-mell to the window to look after 
 the retreating carriage, looked at each other, 
 shook their black, curly polls, and said wisely and 
 sagely, "That is going to be a marriage." 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 MADAME GOLDMAN was charmed and fascinated 
 with her young visitor. She only regretted her 
 stay could be of such short duration. She pro- 
 posed to Jette to send a trusty messenger to Neu- 
 kirch with the money and papers she was to bring, 
 and beg for a holiday. To this Jette, in a fever 
 of trepidation, would not consent. She was highly 
 honored and delighted by the great lady's kind- 
 ness and condescension, as indeed she had every 
 
108 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 reason to be. But her mission was to her a sacred 
 one. The Herr Pastor had charged her to per- 
 form it. She had succeeded far better than she 
 had expected. Proud and elated, she would not 
 think of dividing her duty with any one else, how- j 
 ever trustworthy. Timidly, but firmly, she re- 1 
 minded Madame Goldman of the secrecy of her 
 errand. There were other motives, besides, which 
 made her anxious to return. She knew that in 
 a very few days the doctor and his guest would 
 depart. For the former she did not care ; for the 
 latter she cared a great deal. She wanted to see 
 the last of him, to bid him good-by and God- 
 speed. They had been such good friends, never, 
 never would she forget this summer which he had 
 made so delightful to her. Jette had never known 
 the companionship of a brother, that close inti- 
 macy and sympathetic familiarity which unites 
 two beings born of the same mother in the sweet- 
 est, purest bonds of friendship. From the begin- 
 ning of the world, God intended it so ; and from 
 the beginning of the world, man, fulfilling so little 
 of what was expected of him, has been false to his 
 trust. But Jette, having been brought up reli- 
 giously, and believing in the sacredness of the Ten 
 Commandments, besides steeping her young soul 
 in all sorts of miscellaneous reading, which caused 
 no end of a muddle in her young brain, had 
 formed a very exalted ideal of what a brother 
 should be. In her healthy, vigorous life there was 
 not much time left for romancing. But she was 
 more alone than was good for her; she never took 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 109 
 
 counsel with companions of her own age, because 
 she had none. So in her fervent, hero-worshiping 
 mind she created her own idols, and prostrated 
 herself before them. This, of course, gave her 
 a very charming individuality. Blase people of 
 the world refreshed themselves with her original 
 sayings, and forgot their scornful pessimism in 
 her fervent trust in all that to them was most un- 
 trustworthy. Jette was by no means in love with 
 Hans von Czechy. Never for one moment in her 
 life had she thought of such a thing. Her intel- 
 lect was cultivated beyond her years, but it had 
 left the faculties of her heart all asleep. She 
 thought of the young baron as a brother, and that 
 is how she worshiped him. 
 
 Madame Goldman resolved, if she could not see 
 as much of her guest now as she wanted to, she 
 would see a great deal of her in the future. Then 
 there was crowded in the few hours remaining 
 to her so much of sight-seeing, and pleasure, and 
 shopping, as Jette had no idea could be accom- 
 plished in a week. The great Cathedral was 
 visited, of course. As they passed down the aisle, 
 a woman who had been kneeling in silent worship 
 arose, and liberally sprinkled herself with holy 
 water. There was quite a shower of small sprays, 
 some of which struck Jette in the face. She shrank 
 as if she had received a blow, and from her slim 
 height looked down at Madame Goldman in a half- 
 frightened manner. The great lady smiled, and 
 in a whisper jocularly remarked that now she sup- 
 posed she must consider herself christened. 
 
110 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Do you think so oh, is it true?" faltered 
 the girl. 
 
 "Dear child," said the elder lady seriously, 
 "how can you be so simple? As if it mattered 
 if a whole shower of the water was poured over 
 you. It cannot affect your convictions." 
 
 But Jette's disquietude was not quite allayed 
 till the carriage drew up before one of the large 
 shops. In the plenitude of her purse and the 
 goodness of her heart, Madame Goldman wanted 
 to shower presents upon the young girl. But the 
 latter felt a very comfortable conviction that the 
 Frau Pastorin would have considered it very ill- 
 bred of her to accept. Besides, her wants were 
 so few and simple she did not know what to do 
 with the things. 
 
 "Please, no," she said; "some other time 
 when I come again when you have known me 
 longer, and consider me more worthy of your 
 kindness." 
 
 "But is there nothing nothing you will take 
 from me as a little keepsake even?" asked Ma- 
 dame Goldman. 
 
 "If you would not mind, there is a bottle of 
 Maria Farina no, no, not that big one the 
 little one I had intended to get it myself the 
 Frau Pastorin she is so fond of it " 
 
 "Well, there surely must be something else? " 
 
 "As we passed up the aisle I saw a nice warm 
 hood I think Babbett would be pleased you 
 see, she is getting old she knits them herself, 
 but they are not near as handsome as that one. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 111 
 
 In the winter, when it is cold, you have no idea 
 how one's ears freeze she could wear that one 
 to church Oh, thank you. How good you are ! " 
 
 "Now I am sure there is something else." 
 
 "No," she said reflectively, "unless it is that 
 beautiful handkerchief over there. The Herr 
 Pastor would feel quite grand wearing it on a 
 Sunday. But I suppose it costs a lot of money. 
 Oh, are you really going to buy it ? Well now 
 I don't see how you can be so generous to me." 
 
 "Now you must pick out something for your- 
 self. Indeed, I insist upon it." 
 
 "Oh, but look at the lot of money you have 
 already spent. No, no. I could not think of it. 
 Besides, I have all I want." 
 
 She would not allow the obsequious shopman to 
 carry the precious parcel to the carriage, but took 
 it herself, all in a flutter of delight at the trea- 
 sures it contained. Everybody looked after her, 
 and smiled in sympathy with her happiness. 
 Then they drove to a famous Conditorei, where 
 all the wealth, and fashion, and beauty of the town 
 assembled of an afternoon to drink cafe glace 
 or eat ices. The windows were wide open, they 
 could see the steamboats with their joyous occu- 
 pants plying up and down the glistening blue 
 Rhine. A military band was playing Strauss 's 
 last new waltz, with its intoxicating rhythm, 
 playing as only a trained German band can play. 
 There was a babel of subdued voices and soft, 
 musical laughter. What happiness ! Really the 
 world was beautiful I 
 
112 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 And there, too, was Herr Goldman. He had 
 been obliged to leave them right after luncheon, 
 but he knew very well where and at what hour to 
 find them. For the last twenty minutes his eyes 
 had been fixed hungrily upon that door. With 
 a beaming smile he beckoned to them as they 
 entered. The best table, in the breeziest spot and 
 commanding the finest outlook, he had already re- 
 served, to which the waiter, all smiles and bows, 
 conducted them. Then for the first time in her 
 life Jette ate ices. Ye Heavens ! did ever again 
 in all her life anything taste quite like this ? The 
 first delicious tickling of the palate is very much 
 like first love, the same blissful sensations never 
 return. And then the pastry light, flimsy 
 things, with just weight enough to contain the 
 most delicious fillings, which surely the gods 
 on Olympus themselves must have made. The 
 banker watched her with the greatest amusement. 
 In her wholesome, healthy life Jette had not 
 been spoilt with dainties. It was such a new and 
 wholly delightful experience to her that I am 
 sorry to say she gave way to it more than was 
 good for her. It was the banker's fault, wicked 
 rascal. When he saw how much the girl enjoyed 
 this novel treat, he gave such lavish orders to the 
 waiter as made even that experienced functionary 
 stare. Madame Goldman looked at her son over 
 her glass of cafe glace, and frowned. 
 
 "She will have indigestion," she said, most 
 severely, in French. 
 
 "She doesn't know what it is," he answered, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 113 
 
 hugely delighted to see another ice disappear. 
 "What! with those eyes so clear you can see 
 right through them, and that superb complexion 
 beside which ours looks like tallow? Ask her. 
 I will wager she won't know what you mean." 
 
 Which in very truth it proved to be. Indi- 
 gestion ! She laughed. She had never heard of 
 such a thing. It was a word as foreign to her 
 vocabulary as nerves was to Babbett's. Herr 
 Goldman strolled away for a moment, and had 
 a big bag filled with the choicest confectionery 
 the place contained. Then he selected a hand- 
 some satin-lined box, had it piled to the top with 
 bonbons, and directed the whole to be securely and 
 nicely packed and taken to the carriage. He in- 
 tended she should be well supplied on her journey 
 on the morrow, and that at the same time it was 
 his forethought which had so generously provided 
 for her. She should be grateful to him, the little 
 angel. Apres? One would see. 
 
 As he stumped back, in and out among the little 
 tables, he was stared at with more than usual in- 
 terest. A party of officers, haughty, overbearing 
 fellows, who usually contented themselves with care- 
 lessly nodding to him, stopped him with effusion. 
 
 "Goldman Liebster, tell us who is that divine 
 Backfisch who came in with your mother? A 
 stranger, eh?" 
 
 Herr Goldman's vanity was flattered. To be 
 thus familiarly addressed by the arrogant, proud 
 Baron von Z in the presence of all fashiona- 
 ble Cologne was indeed no small social distinction. 
 
114 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "To the city yes," lie said in his smooth 
 manner; "but not by any means to us." 
 
 " Donnerwetter ! where have you hidden her all 
 the time ? She is simply heavenly beautiful. After 
 rending our hearts by a glimpse of her, do you 
 intend to put her back under lock and key? " 
 
 "You must ask my mother," he said, laughing. 
 "The young Fraulein is under her special care." 
 
 " Heavens ! I wish she would allow me to share 
 it," sighed a beardless young lieutenant. 
 
 "You had better ask her," suggested Herr 
 Goldman, the gold rings in his eyes gleaming like 
 fire. 
 
 "Ask Beelzebub and all his dragons. How can 
 one approach her, guarded like that? Not once 
 has she glanced this way, though I have sighed " 
 
 "Enough to inflate this room, and float us all 
 over the Rhine," interrupted von Z . 
 
 "Cold-hearted creature," moaned the young 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "No wonder," laughed a gay young subaltern, 
 "if she fortifies her system with nothing but 
 ices." 
 
 "Don't disquiet yourselves, gentlemen," said 
 Herr Goldman; "the young Fraulein is going 
 back to school." 
 
 "Going back to school?" chorused the young 
 officers. "No, indeed; we won't allow that. We 
 will lie in wait for the post-chaise, and make the 
 postilions surrender." 
 
 "She belongs to your people, eh?" inquired 
 von Z hesitatingly. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 115 
 
 Herr Goldman bowed. "She belongs to my 
 people," he said, measured and coldly. There 
 was hauteur as well as triumph in his voice. He 
 went back to his table, assisted his mother with 
 her lace shawl, piloted Jette, with a smiling air 
 of proprietorship, in the wake of Madame Gold- 
 man, and drove off with them in the serene know- 
 ledge that he was the most envied man in the town 
 that day. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THAT was a blissful day for Jette. So many 
 events were crowded into it, they might w*ell have 
 been distributed over the whole year. She had 
 accomplished her errand successfully, she had 
 made new friends, who treated her like a spoilt 
 child, and had given her a glimpse of that great 
 world, into which she glided as easily and natu- 
 rally as if she had always belonged to it. The 
 drive along the public promenade should she 
 ever forget it! The band had played as band 
 surely never played before. Such waltzes oh, 
 how could people lounge around without seizing 
 hold of each other and keeping time to such rav- 
 ishing music ! She, for her part, could not keep 
 still. It was with difficulty she preserved the 
 proper decorum in the carriage. People looked 
 at her, smiled, and looked again and again. In- 
 deed, who could help it? Her flushed cheeks, her 
 beaming eyes, the thrill of ecstasy which half 
 parted her lips, showing just the edges of her 
 
116 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 glistening, perfect teeth, could eyes behold a 
 more absorbing vision of health, happiness, and 
 beauty? And then her sweet, gracious youth, 
 the air of perfect innocence and purity, which 
 surrounded her like a benediction from on high, 
 and made the boldest roue involuntarily subdue 
 his gaze, surely, if she received much, she gave 
 as much in return. The banker and his mother 
 constantly exchanged glances as they watched her. 
 They smiled in sympathy with her joy, and echoed 
 her gleeful laugh for the same reason. If ever 
 there was a proud man in Cologne, it surely was 
 Herr Goldman. He enjoyed the notice they at- 
 tracted, the looks of envy directed towards him- 
 self, the distinction of being bowed to by people 
 of the most exclusive set, who at best had only 
 
 nodded carelessly to him before. Baron von Z 
 
 and his brother officers passed and repassed. They 
 sighed, looked, and languished. But not the 
 slightest glance did they obtain. Jette was far 
 too much absorbed in her own enjoyment to take 
 heed of anybody. She would have been seized 
 with the greatest consternation, if any one had 
 drawn her attention to the notice she was exciting. 
 All her pleasure would have been spoilt. This 
 utter unconsciousness pleased Herr Goldman and 
 his mother more than all else. The banker felt 
 that he was avenged for many a slight and covert 
 
 sneer von Z and his confreres had bestowed 
 
 upon the "Jew." 
 
 At dinner Jette met Goldman, senior. She 
 looked down upon a small, thin, wiry old gentle- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 117 
 
 man, dressed in very shabby, rusty, black clothes. 
 The skirts of his swallow -tailed coat almost 
 touched his heels, the lapels were covered with 
 snuff, and his skinny little chin quite disappeared 
 in an enormously high collar and a black satin 
 stock, all frayed at the edges. He was very bald- 
 headed, and his eyes prominent and dark, with 
 gold rings in them like his son's had a sharp, 
 comprehensive look, which took in a great deal 
 at a single glance. His great financial schemes 
 absorbed all his time and attention, with one great 
 exception, his wife. Her he worshiped and 
 doted upon, and was jealous of the great affection 
 she bestowed upon their son. If she kissed the 
 latter, she had to kiss him also, or he would be 
 sulky for a month. The fine clothes and jewels 
 and gimcracks he disdained for himself, he lav- 
 ished in profusion upon her. She had the most 
 thoroughbred horses and the finest appointed car- 
 riage in the whole Rhine province. She could 
 spend money as profusely as she pleased upon her 
 charities, for charity and the name of Goldman 
 were synonymous, her entertainments, her hob- 
 bies. During the hot summer months she went 
 to Ems and Wiesbaden, and no more ardent ad- 
 mirer trotted in her train than this snuffy, shabby, 
 little old gentleman. His love for his old clothes 
 was the only point of contention between them. 
 He clung to them as long as she would let him. 
 When finally she used the utmost finesse to sub- 
 stitute a new suit, he was ill-humored and out of 
 gear until it commenced to look as shabby as the 
 
118 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 old one. At first he flatly refused to give them 
 up, and to his intense delight and her consterna- 
 tion, he recovered them, and triumphantly put 
 them on again. After that, she always had them 
 burnt. This caused no end of dismay, for as it 
 happened, rigidly as the pockets always were 
 searched, a valuable memorandum, secreted in a 
 receptacle known only to himself, had been over- 
 looked. So they came to an amicable understand- 
 ing that he was to receive notice whenever he was 
 required to put on new clothing. The poor old 
 gentleman used to quake weeks beforehand, for 
 so well was he used to the different expressions in 
 his wife's face that he could always tell whenever 
 she meditated one of her raids upon his old 
 clothes. At night, when he went to bed, she had 
 her own maid brush them, while he kept a jealous 
 watch on her. But his trousers he positively re- 
 fused to give up. These he secreted so cleverly 
 that the most diligent search could never discover 
 them. In the morning, before she was awake, he 
 would with great secrecy and caution draw them 
 from their hiding-place. At stated times during 
 the week she laid out his clean linen, had the bath 
 prepared, conducted him to the door, and shut 
 him in. Her manner to him was as maternal as 
 if he had been a pet child, instead of being fifteen 
 years her senior. When she stooped over to kiss 
 him, and brushed the few wisps of hair from 
 his high forehead, very broad at the temples, the 
 faded rings in his eyes would sparkle, and his 
 sallow skin flush like a schoolgirl's. During the 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 119 
 
 twenty-nine years of their married life, he had 
 never once gone away without kissing her and 
 doing the same when he returned. When first 
 he had brought her home a mere child from the 
 schoolroom, and she had shut herself up in the 
 attic to play with her dolls to avoid meeting him, 
 he had been a patient and fatherly protector to 
 her. Thus had she grown into his life to be both 
 child and wife to him. He never missed a daugh- 
 ter, because she was all to him. So had it been 
 from the first, and so would it be to the last. 
 
 Jette's awe and trepidation at meeting the great 
 senior of the famous banking-house vanished 
 when she saw him. Being all in ignorance that 
 people of immense means may indulge with impu- 
 nity peculiarities a poor man would not dare 
 dream of, and acquire an envied reputation for 
 individuality besides, she was amazed at the 
 contrast between himself and his surroundings. 
 Every detail spoke, not alone of the most lavish 
 wealth, but also of the most unerring and culti- 
 vated taste. Had she not been accustomed to the 
 grandeur of Hermersdorff, she would have been 
 overwhelmed at the evidences of luxury displayed 
 everywhere. All the appointments at table were 
 of the most costly crystal and solid silver. There 
 was quite a large party, all poor relatives of the 
 Goldmans and inmates of their hospitable man- 
 sion. There was Hanne, an elderly spinster, who 
 took all housekeeping cares off Madame Gold- 
 man's hands. She was a second or third cousin; 
 somewhat shrewish, but very capable, and ruled 
 
120 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 the large staff of servants with an unsparing 
 hand. Then there was a very old gentleman, an 
 uncle of Madame Goldman's from the maternal 
 side, who took snuff with a trembling hand, spilled 
 his soup over his napkin, and undertook on any 
 and every occasion the role of cicerone in the 
 Goldman mansion. There were two or three 
 young gentlemen employed in the bank, receiving 
 their financial training there. They did full jus- 
 tice to the lavish and excellent dinner, stared a 
 great deal at Jette, and blushed furiously when 
 the younger Goldman glared at them reprovingly. 
 The conversation during dinner was chiefly car- 
 ried on between father and son, occasionally joined 
 in with vivacity by Madame Goldman. It was 
 an unintelligible jargon to Jette, who was quite 
 bewildered at the fickleness of a thing they called 
 the "boerse," which seemed to gyrate with the 
 unreliableness of a shipwrecked balloon in a mad 
 upward or downward course. She felt embar- 
 rassed and constrained, and was glad when at 
 last, to her great relief, dinner was over. Hanne 
 and the young gentlemen disappeared, and the 
 rest went into the adjoining drawing-room. Here 
 she was pounced upon by Uncle Emanuel, who, 
 leaning on his stick, his little old head shaking 
 with palsy, conducted her from one art treasure 
 to another, challenging her admiration, and stating 
 with the accuracy of a guide-book the different 
 value of each. 
 
 "Here, look at this group by Rubens. Is it 
 not ' famos ' ? Perhaps you don't know he was 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 121 
 
 a great painter, one of the greatest the world 
 has produced. He was a Hollander. My nephew 
 paid ten thousand thalers for it. Fancy, paying 
 such an enormous sum for a single picture. He 
 got it a dead bargain. It is easily worth three 
 times as much. Just think of it, three times 
 as much!" bawled Uncle Emanuel, in his thin, 
 cracked voice, his shaking little head cocked to 
 one side, flourishing his stick in ecstasy. "And 
 here 's a vase of Parian marble, right in front of 
 you on this pedestal. Look at its exquisite work- 
 manship. It came from Pompeii, Pompeii, you 
 know, an ancient town in Italy, which was buried 
 by an earthquake almost two thousand years ago. 
 What did you say ? Hey ? That you have read 
 all about it? Well, of course I did n't know you 
 were so learned. I tell you that cost a lot of 
 money. Ach ! I tell you it would make you rich, 
 if you had it. But it 's easily worth a great 
 deal more than we paid for it. There is nothing 
 like making a good bargain. Have you looked at 
 it enough? Ay, admire it, do. In all your life, 
 maybe, you will never see anything like it again. 
 Do you notice this little picture? Well, that 
 little oil painting, not much bigger than my hand, 
 have you any idea what a fabulous sum it is 
 worth? It is by one of the great Florentine 
 masters, and represents a great poet, Tante no, 
 Dante, I think they call him. See the laurel 
 wreath around his ferow " 
 
 "Yes," interrupted Jette unguardedly, "but 
 this is not the original. That is in one of the 
 famous galleries in Italy." 
 
122 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "What! " screamed the old man; "not the 
 original I After all the money we paid for it! 
 Ach, indeed! I low comes it that you set yourself 
 up for a judge?'* 
 
 Jette was frightened to death at the fury she 
 had invoked, and the taunting sarcasm of the old 
 man's voice. Goldman fils, who had no patience 
 with his great-uncle's vulgarity, but who was 
 eagerly watching to see what impression the dis- 
 play of wealth would make upon this unsophisti- 
 cated country girl, now sauntered up as if un- 
 awares. For him, all the pictures that ever were 
 painted had not as much interest as the one pre- 
 sented by the decrepit, bent old man, trembling 
 on the verge of the grave, and the blooming, radi- 
 ant vision of youth, shrinking away from him. It 
 gave him immense pleasure when she turned to 
 him, with every sign of welcome relief. But the 
 old man still scowled at her in high displeasure. 
 
 "Dost know," he said, with an angry sneer, 
 "that this young Fraulein possesses most wonder- 
 ful knowledge? She has just told me that our 
 pictures, which cost more money than she ever 
 saw, or ever will see in all her life, which people 
 from afar come to see and admire, are what she 
 is kindly pleased to call copies. Copies!" he 
 added with angry emphasis, glaring as if he would 
 gladly annihilate her. 
 
 "Don't mind Uncle Emanuel," said Herr Gold- 
 man cheerfully. " 'T is his way, but he means no 
 harm. You see he is old and infirm," he added, 
 with a shrug. He took the old man by the arm, 
 
;j 
 
 w^mllalr. I kd > 
 
124 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Yes," she said; "the castle is within easy 
 distance of Neukirch. The Herr Professor spends 
 part of the holidays there. It is a beautiful 
 place." 
 
 "And you know them? Indeed, Fraulein Ca- 
 jena, you are to be congratulated upon possessing 
 such friends." 
 
 He said it with far greater respect and defer- 
 ence than he had shown before. It was plain to 
 see she had acquired vastly more importance in 
 his eyes. 
 
 "Everything I know the Fraulein has taught 
 me," said Jette, with emotion. She added rev- 
 erently, as if saying a prayer, "God bless 
 her." 
 
 She went over to Madame Goldman, who was 
 playing soft, pathetic music. She always played 
 thus after dinner, while her husband lay on the 
 sofa, and with a red silk handkerchief over his 
 face, snored peacefully and contentedly. Madame 
 Goldman, like most Viennese women of the high- 
 est culture, was a trained musician. It was not 
 alone her perfect technique, but her wonderful 
 understanding and feeling. There was life and 
 heart in everything she played, whether it was 
 Beethoven or Strauss. Perfect mistress of har- 
 mony, she played with a grace and skill which 
 made her completely dominate the piano, and 
 would have made her famous and rich, had she 
 been compelled to earn her living. Like all good 
 players, she was intensely, passionately fond of 
 music, and could call up any emotion she pleased. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 125 
 
 As Jette came up, she suddenly broke into the 
 entrancing strains of the waltz king, Strauss, of 
 whom it was said he could make the halt, the 
 lame, and the decrepit dance. It was the same 
 music the band had played on the public prome- 
 nade that afternoon. Jette, who, if anything, was 
 born to dance, who could never keep her feet still 
 at the sound of the most cracked old fiddle, was 
 fairly carried away. But, indeed, it must have 
 been a codfish who could have listened to such en- 
 trancing strains, played by such a spirited master 
 hand, without sending the feet flying. Before she 
 knew it, she had caught Madame Goldman's fat 
 pug, who lay lazily blinking at her from the 
 depths of a luxurious armchair, and was off with 
 him around the room. If ever the young banker 
 cursed his deformity, it was when he saw Jette 
 dance. And she had no other partner than the 
 struggling, yawping little beastie, who, having 
 overcome his first astonishment, vented his out- 
 raged dignity in a succession of angry snarls. 
 Madame Goldman, seeing him sitting there, his 
 hands in his pockets, and that moody expression 
 on his face, struck a few skillful chords, and 
 stopped. 
 
 "Oh, my poor Mops," she said, as she took 
 the angry pug from the breathless girl's arms; 
 "what outrage have they done thee? Yes, scold 
 her, scold her ! " she said, laughing, as the highly 
 insulted little beast turned upon his late partner, 
 and lustily barked at her. 
 
 " OA, what divine music!" said the girl; "it 
 
126 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 will haunt me all the summer. How I wish I 
 could learn it on the guitar." 
 
 "Do you play the guitar? " asked Madame 
 Goldman. 
 
 "Oh, no; only just enough to accompany my- 
 self to a few simple songs." 
 
 "You sing," said Madame Goldman, with ani- 
 mation; "I thought you had a singing voice. 
 How lovely! Contralto, is it not? Yes, I 
 thought so. Here we all have voices like cawing 
 rooks. As for Julius, he has not an atom of an 
 ear. He would insist upon joining a singing so- 
 ciety. One conductor died of consumption, the 
 second ran away, and the third hanged himself. 
 Ah, here is Julius with the guitar. Sit there 
 there where I can see you, Liebchen. Now sing." 
 
 If Madame Goldman loved to play, Jette loved 
 to sing. The little training Thekla had given 
 her amounted to a great deal with a voice like 
 hers. At first diffident and shy, she soon gained 
 confidence, and let her pure young voice soar 
 over the vast expanse of the drawing-room. It 
 flooded the house from attic to cellar. The ser- 
 vants came out into the hall to listen. She sung 
 an impassioned love song, a great favorite of 
 Thekla's : 
 
 " Ask the roses if I love thee, 
 Ask the roses, thou heavenly maid." 
 
 She was voicing the sentiments of the banker's 
 own heart. As he sat and watched her, entranced, 
 he felt that it was irrevocably gone out of his 
 keeping forever. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 127 
 
 "You have a splendid voice," said Madame 
 Goldman. "Heavens! with some cultivation and 
 a great deal of practice, what could not be made 
 of it! Let me tell you, liebe Kleine, that some 
 years hence you will sing that passionate song 
 with a vastly different expression." 
 
 She herself accompanied her to her room, and 
 embraced her in farewell. Madame Goldman was 
 a late riser, and the early post-chaise would have 
 borne the young girl hence long before she herself 
 would be stirring. 
 
 "Has your visit been pleasant, little one?" 
 she asked caressingly. "Oh, but you need not 
 answer. Your eyes express enough. Here is a 
 letter for the Herr Pastor you must give him. It 
 is my wish you should soon come again. Will 
 you?" 
 
 "Oh, how good you are! Indeed, indeed, I 
 will, if the Frau Pastorin will let me. But I 
 cannot come till the summer is over. There is 
 the garden to take care of, harvesting at which I 
 must help, and indeed, I could not be spared. 
 But in the winter I think it could be managed 
 then. Perhaps I can bring my spinning-wheel 
 and knitting," she added anxiously. 
 
 The great lady laughed and patted her cheeks. 
 She took the brooch she wore at her throat, and 
 fastened it in the girl's white lace fichu. 
 
 "Thou wouldst not let me buy anything for 
 thee," she said, lapsing into the familiar thee and 
 thou; "now thou must wear this, and never forget 
 me till thou comest again." 
 
128 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "No, no," said Jette, overcome at such a mag- 
 nificent present; "no, no, indeed, I dare not take 
 it. What shall I do with such a valuable thing 
 as that? 'T is far too grand for me." 
 
 But Madame Goldman only laughed again. 
 "My dear! I have so much of the trash lying 
 around ; 't is a relief to get rid of some of it. 
 Dear little one ! Auf Wiedersehen ! we shall soon 
 meet again." 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 WHAT rejoicing there was when Jette returned 
 home. She came early the following night. The 
 villagers were all abed; there were no prying eyes 
 to see her. How strange the familiar living-room 
 looked, with its sanded floor, even after so short 
 an absence. When she handed the package of 
 important papers to Hans, his eyes glistened, and 
 he kissed the gracious hand which gave it, with 
 all looking on. The Herr Pastor patted her 
 under the chin and pinched her blushing cheek, 
 declaring she was the most famously discreet little 
 girl in the whole Rhine province. Of course she 
 had to refresh herself with coffee, which Babbett 
 brought in presently, and though supper was over 
 long ago, they all sat around the table, each tak- 
 ing a cup to keep her company. 
 
 "Out there in the passage," said Babbett, pok- 
 ing her head in again, "are quite a lot of pack- 
 ages. I suppose you have forgotten all about 
 them, Jette?" 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 129 
 
 Of course she was dying, poor old thing, to 
 know what they contained. The everlastingly 
 feminine heart, God bless it, knows full well that 
 one doesn't go to town without indulging in some 
 sort of shopping, even if it be on the minutest, 
 most limited scale. 
 
 "My presents!" exclaimed Jette, darting into 
 the hall, from which she emerged with her arms 
 full, Babbett carrying the rest. The Herr Pas- 
 tor's eyes moistened when, with a great deal of 
 pride and a timid blush, she gave him the much- 
 prized handkerchief. The Frau Pastorin smiled 
 with pleasure to find she was remembered, and 
 Babbett went fairly wild over the lovely warm 
 hood. She went up and put her withered lips to 
 the girl's soft, blooming cheek. 
 
 "Thou art a good one," she said, in her direct, 
 honest manner; "nay, indeed thou hast a good 
 heart. But, dear Heaven, Jette! These things 
 cost a lot of money. Where didst thou get it 
 from? Hast thou bought nothing for thyself? 
 And what is in this large box? " 
 
 "I haven't any idea," she said; "Herr Gold- 
 man put it in the post-chaise with a lot of deli- 
 cious confectionery after I had taken my seat." 
 
 "Herr Goldman," cried Hans von Czechy and 
 the doctor simultaneously. 
 
 "Yes, indeed," she said; "wasn't it kind of 
 him ? He and Hanne, the housekeeper, took me 
 to the booking-office, early as it was, and never 
 left me till the post-chaise started. A footman 
 followed with these things. I told Herr Goldman 
 
130 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 there must be some mistake, but he only laughed, 
 and said a fairy had sent them overnight. He 
 reminded me about the confectionery, or I should 
 have sat down on it. Oh, it was delicious. I am 
 afraid I have eaten every bit of it." 
 
 While she ran on in her happy, unconcerned 
 manner, the rest looked at each other in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 "Which of the bankers did you see?" asked 
 the Magyar, with a lowering brow. 
 
 " Oh, I saw both of them the younger one at 
 first, of course Herr Julius Goldman, at the 
 bank, who was very gracious, I assure you. The 
 old gentleman I met at the house Thou dear 
 Heaven! I never would have taken him for a 
 rich banker. Oh, look, look ! Did ever any one 
 see anything so extravagant? Bonbons! this 
 whole immense thing full, and what a beautiful 
 box! lined with pink satin, embroidered all over 
 in gold. Actually! I never, never, even in my 
 dreams, saw anything half so magnificent. I 
 really must run out to the kitchen and show it to 
 Babbett." 
 
 "She has seen that red-headed satyr," said the 
 Magyar furiously, in an undertone to the doctor; 
 "of course he has fallen in love with her male- 
 dictions on him ! " 
 
 Out into the passage the pastor was calling, 
 "Come back, chatter-pate. Now sit down like 
 a sensible girl, and tell us everything that has 
 befallen thee since thou leftest home." So she 
 gave a detailed account of everything that had 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 131 
 
 happened. And as she ran on, perfectly uncon- 
 scious of the sensation she created, Hans von 
 Czechy looked at the doctor, and the doctor looked 
 at him. She had tears in her eyes, when she 
 spoke of Madame Goldman's graciousness. Then 
 she dived into her pocket, and handed the Herr 
 Pastor the letter intrusted to her care. 
 
 "Here is the lovely brooch she gave me," she 
 said, taking it from among the folds of her bodice. 
 "I put it there for safe keeping, for I did not 
 dare wear it, for fear of losing it. Is n't it mag- 
 nificent ! a great deal too grand for me, I am sure. 
 Will you please take care of it, Frau Pastor in, 
 until I am grown up ? or perhaps perhaps you 
 would n't mind wearing it yourself. It is far 
 more suitable for you than for me." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin took it, with a smile and 
 a beaming eye. "Certainly I will take care of 
 it for thee," she said. "I will wrap it in some 
 fine wadding, and put it away in a box under 
 safe lock and key. Thou wilt be very glad and 
 very proud to wear it when thou art old enough to 
 appreciate such things." 
 
 "Now thou must go to bed," said the Herr 
 Pastor; "it is very late, and thou must be very 
 tired. There are a great many things to be at- 
 tended to during the short time that remains 
 before our guests leave us. Go and take some 
 necessary rest." 
 
 "Fraulein Jettchen," said Hans, "I shall never 
 forget the great service you have done for me. 
 In my heart and my memory it will live forever. 
 
132 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 If ever the time should come, you shall learn that 
 the von Czechys know how to be grateful." 
 
 He looked at her with a meaning in his impas- 
 sioned eyes which brought the blood to her neck 
 and face. 
 
 "No, no," she said confusedly, "I only did as 
 the Herr Pastor told me." With a hasty good- 
 night she ran up to her room. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE next morning Fraulein von Hermersdorff 
 drove up. She had returned from Silesia the 
 night before, and lost no time in running up to 
 the parsonage. It was easy to see how she re- 
 gretted her absence during the doctor's and his 
 friend's stay. She knew Hans very well, and 
 insisted upon showing him some hospitality, 
 though both he and his friend were really on the 
 eve of departure. 
 
 "How sorry I am!" she said; "really, papa 
 will be inconsolable. To think that once in a 
 hundred years, perhaps, I go away from home, 
 and then it must just happen when one would 
 most wish one had remained." 
 
 "Most gracious Fraulein," said Hans, kissing 
 the pretty plump hand she extended to him, "you 
 have no idea what a lucky escape you have had. 
 We have run wild here, so to speak, and most 
 devoutly thankful our dear entertainers must be 
 to get rid of us." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 133 
 
 "'T is a most wholesome disturbance, then," 
 she said gayly ; " one could easily put up with it 
 for a lifetime. We know each other too well, 
 dear baron, that you should waste pretty speeches 
 on me. Now I have a plan. To-morrow you 
 must give up to me absolutely. We will have a 
 picnic, a right merry old-fashioned one. You 
 must all come. 'T is no use to shake your heads 
 and look at each other. What I will, I will ; you 
 know that of old." 
 
 Really, she was irresistible. She knew how to 
 dominate people; from her cradle upwards she 
 had done nothing else. Thekla was twenty now, 
 but save a more pronounced dignity of bearing 
 and added distinction in manner and appearance, 
 she was the same petite, sparkling, vivacious, 
 dark sprite of three years ago. Her "cultivated 
 heart," as the pastor called it, shone out of her 
 happy dark eyes. She was so easy and unconven- 
 tional in all she did or said that one quite forgot 
 the heiress and the position she occupied in the 
 world, though none knew more perfectly than 
 herself how to crush presumption or officiousness. 
 No wonder the Frau Pastorin was anxious for her 
 son to marry her. He would gain at one bound 
 what it is given to very few, even under the most 
 favorable circumstances, to acquire in a lifetime : 
 honor, riches, a most enviable place in society, and 
 above and best of all, a charming, most desirable 
 companion for life. Truly, an enviable lot for any 
 man, when even most exceptionally favored of the 
 gods. The Frau Pastorin desired above all things 
 
134 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 that Fritz should settle his fate definitely before he 
 went. It was patent to all eyes that Thekla loved 
 him. They had grown up as children together, 
 and had hardly had a joy or grief apart. If Fritz 
 had any sense, he would speak now. He would 
 be gone at least three years; he could not expect 
 a girl like the heiress of Hermersdorff to wait for 
 him forever. Ah, what a joyful wedding there 
 would then be on his return! How gladly the 
 Frau Pastorin would bear this long parting, which 
 otherwise she felt would almost break her heart ! 
 Three years is a long time, yes, indeed, quite 
 an eternity for those who have to fold their hands 
 and watch and wait through it all. And then 
 there are so many temptations for a young man, 
 especially on the continent in gay Vienna, where 
 Fritz will study most of the time. Though he is 
 not a lady's man, no, indeed; in fact, he is 
 quite unimpressionable, his ideals are so high; 
 heart and soul he is wrapped up in his profession. 
 He is going to accomplish great things, oh, 
 very, and come back a professor, maybe. She 
 dare wager he has not once thought of a woman. 
 That is quite right, of course; he has been too 
 much engaged in earnest study to fritter away 
 his time in idle gallantries. It has so long been 
 tacitly understood that as soon as he had made 
 a position for himself he would marry Thekla; 
 really, he must speak now. She must find an 
 opportunity to leave them together. 
 
 "Indeed," said Thekla, "this last day of all we 
 must make up for everything. We will spend 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 135 
 
 the whole day in the open. You remember that 
 lovely glade near the old Schloss, Herr Doctor, 
 where we once lost ourselves as children?" 
 
 Since they were both grown up, her modesty 
 would not allow her to treat him in the old famil- 
 iar manner. She always called him Herr Doctor 
 now. 
 
 "Oh, yes, indeed," he said, smiling; "we fan- 
 cied we were another pair of babes in the wood, 
 and waited patiently for the birds to cover us 
 with the traditional leaves. But as they were 
 too stupid, or too much engrossed with their own 
 affairs, we decided to gather them ourselves. I 
 rather think you were quite disappointed we were 
 rescued before nightfall." 
 
 She blushed and laughed. "It is a heavenly 
 place," she said; "just the spot for a picnic. 
 We will pack hampers and send the servants in 
 advance. Our old Trudel shall bring his fid- 
 dle. I will send word to everybody on my way 
 back. It will be charming. Something of a sur- 
 prise, of course. That will make it all the mer- 
 rier. I can fancy their faces when they will hear 
 of it. They will grumble and say, ' Just like 
 Thekla. ' All the same, they will come. No one 
 shall be left out. The old Fraulein von Sprech- 
 nau, the doctor's wife, the attorney's daughter, 
 if I did not ask them, they would feel sore about 
 it. There will be a lovely moon at night. We 
 will dance on the green. Oh, everybody must 
 come." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin was delighted. She would 
 
136 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 have preferred to have Fritz all to herself, this 
 last day of his stay. But the opportunity was too 
 propitious. She wondered if there was not some 
 design in it. Certainly, if so, she would speed it 
 with all her heart. 
 
 "We will all come," she said, "and, as you 
 say, spend a long, happy day together. Ah, I 
 see Henriette in the garden. I must go and tell 
 her." 
 
 "I thought Jettchen was at the Wildhof," said 
 Thekla. Involuntarily, she glanced at the doctor. 
 His face was crimson. He turned his back to 
 the window and said quietly, "She will not be 
 banished again on my account." 
 
 "I will go and bring Fraulein Jettchen to you," 
 said Hans, with alacrity; "she will be delighted 
 to hear you are returned." 
 
 He vaulted lightly through the open window, 
 and yodled as gayly as the most light-hearted 
 Swiss mountaineer. The doctor turned round 
 again. 
 
 "Dear child," said the Frau Pastorin, "you 
 know absolutely nothing, then, of all the exciting 
 events which have happened here of late? Then 
 I will leave it to Fritz to tell you. I must run 
 into the kitchen to speak to Babbett." 
 
 But the doctor made a very distrait narrator. 
 His glance continually wandered to the garden, 
 from where the sound of joyous voices and laugh- 
 ter floated upward. Hans and Jettchen were 
 there, of course. The tall lilac bush, in which 
 the nightingale sang to her mate at night, hid 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 137 
 
 them from view. Thekla's gayety of expression 
 became sober and thoughtful, as she noticed the 
 doctor's wandering glances. 
 
 "Shall we not go and join them?" she said. 
 "It is so much pleasanter out among the flowers. 
 Herr von Czechy seems to have forgotten his in- 
 tention to tell Jettchen. Do you not think she 
 has changed very much? " 
 
 "I scarcely remember her from the first," he 
 said; "though who would not improve under such 
 able tutelage as yours?" 
 
 But she did not smile in return. When they 
 reached the truants, Hans was bending over Jette, 
 trying to extract a thorn from her finger. His 
 head, with its abundance of curly black hair, was 
 very near her own. She was moaning in a sort 
 of inarticulate manner, very much like a dumb 
 animal in pain. The doctor made a hasty stride 
 forward. 
 
 "What is this?" he said. 
 
 "Now," said the Magyar, astonished, "thou 
 needest not knock me over in thy professional 
 zeal. After all, I must yield the patient to thee. 
 'T is an ugly, long thorn, and so deeply imbedded 
 in the delicate flesh thou wilt have to use one of 
 the pretty baubles thou carriest around with thee 
 to get it out." 
 
 As he reluctantly made way, Jette saw Thekla. 
 She snatched away the hand the doctor had just 
 taken, and flew towards her. 
 
 "Dear, dear Fraulein, you here? But this is a 
 delightful surprise ! When did you come ? " 
 
138 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "Dear Jettchen," she said, "dear child. But 
 when wilt thou stop growing? Already thou 
 lookest down upon me. Did not Herr von Czechy 
 tell thee I was here? He went out to fetch 
 thee." 
 
 "He never told me a word," said Jette plain- 
 tively. 
 
 Hans looked guilty, but he laughed. "You 
 gave me no time," he said. "I had just opened 
 my mouth to speed the words when you ran the 
 thorn into your finger. Then, of course, the 
 words lost themselves. I think you are very un- 
 grateful, Fraulein. I have broken my nails try- 
 ing to pull the ugly thing out. My very teeth 
 are blunt." 
 
 "So you used your teeth, too," said the doctor 
 dryly. "That doubtless is the reason we heard 
 you both laugh so. You have been here at least 
 half an hour. Has the thorn been in so long?" 
 
 "How he has kept count of the time! " thought 
 Thekla. She watched him as he took hold of 
 the wounded hand. Though brave enough in all 
 other things, Jette could not bear physical pain. 
 She shuddered and cowered before it in nameless 
 terror. The Herr Pastor said it would always be 
 so. It was the result of that terrible time, but 
 for which she might never have crossed the par- 
 sonage threshold. 
 
 "Nay," said the doctor, looking at her; "how 
 can any one make so much ado about such a trifle ! 
 Steady now, one moment. I will have it out in 
 a trice." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 139 
 
 "It hurts," she said. "It hurts," she repeated, 
 looking at him, her lips quivering, her eyes full 
 of tears. 
 
 "I will not hurt you, Jettchen," he said. Ah, 
 the tone in which he said it ! An icy chill struck 
 Fraulein von Hermersdorff's heart. She stooped 
 down hastily to pick a spray of mignonette. He 
 drew a little leather case from his pocket, and 
 selected a small instrument. Jette shrieked, and 
 hid her hand in the folds of her dress. 
 
 "Give me your hand," he said. It was the 
 physician now who spoke. Slowly, with her eyes 
 fixed on his, she drew it forth. 
 
 "You must not tremble so," he said; "this way 
 I can do nothing." He flung his arm around her, 
 held the hand in his firm clasp, and in a trice, 
 swiftly and dexterously, he had the thorn out. 
 The blood gushed forth and spattered itself over 
 his fingers. 
 
 "There," he said, smiling, "that did not hurt 
 badly, eh? Kun into the house and bathe the 
 hand. I will bind it up presently. To-morrow 
 it will be all right again." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin now came up. "You will 
 stay to dinner?" she said to Thekla. 
 
 "No, no," she said hastily; "I have so much 
 to do yet. Indeed, indeed, you are very kind, 
 and I should be delighted to accept. But papa 
 is waiting for me, besides, if our little feast is 
 to come off to-morrow, 't is surely high time I let 
 everybody know." 
 
 They all accompanied Thekla to the gate, and 
 
140 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 saw her drive off. Jette came running out with 
 her hand in a napkin. But contrary to Thekla's 
 usual custom, she did not turn round to smile and 
 wave her hand. The Frau Pastorin looked at her 
 son. 
 
 "Fraulein von Hermersdorff did not seem in 
 her usual good spirits," she said; "Fritz! has 
 anything happened? " 
 
 "Anything happened!" he repeated in amaze- 
 ment; "why, what should happen, mamma?" 
 
 Then he had not spoken. A longing came over 
 her to box his ears. Such obtuseness was crimi- 
 nal. But patience! He surely would declare 
 himself on the morrow. Yes, of course. That 
 was it. In restored good humor she went in with 
 the rest to dinner. 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 IF ever a fair vision dawned on the charmed 
 beholders' gaze, it surely was Jette on the follow- 
 ing morning. True child of the joyous Ehine- 
 land, she delighted in music, dancing, or anything 
 that promised exhilaration to the spirits. She 
 was going to dance to-day really, what would 
 life be without it? For her part, she would be 
 content with just a crust, provided she could keep 
 step to some joyous rhythm. She felt as if she 
 had danced into life, and some time when she had 
 grown very, very old, she would dance out of it. 
 So when all were ready, she came down in her 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 141 
 
 white muslin dress, modestly draped with a lace 
 frilled fichu, the ruffled elbow sleeves revealing 
 the arms partially covered with white silk mittens, 
 low-cut shoes, fastened with a big buckle in the 
 middle, and the large white leghorn hat with the 
 ox-eyed marguerites, which had so charmed Herr 
 Goldman, shading the sweet, lovable face. She 
 was so joyfully excited, her eyes sparkled in such 
 happy anticipation, and her cheeks had such an 
 enticing bloom that Hans gazed and gazed, as if 
 he could never feast his eyes enough. The Frau 
 Pastorin examined her critically, and thought she 
 would do. The Herr Pastor beamed through his 
 spectacles, lifted her chin with his forefinger, 
 his invariable custom when pleased, and de- 
 clared with an astonishment which positively was 
 quite nai'v.e that "really, it almost looked as if 
 Jettchen was growing up." The doctor placed 
 himself opposite her in the Jagdwagen, or hunt- 
 break, Thekla had sent, and took hold of her hand 
 to see if it was really quite healed. Hans groaned, 
 and wished he was in the "codfish's" place. He 
 would not have let go of that beloved hand for 
 the rest of the drive. 
 
 Everybody was already on the grounds when 
 they arrived. And the way every one went about 
 enjoying himself was worthy of the occasion and 
 the surroundings. It was indeed, as Thekla had 
 said, an ideal spot. Moss-like turf, noiseless 
 and soft as a velvet carpet, wherever one stepped; 
 wild flowers of all imaginable colors; immense 
 trees, whose interlacing branches formed a natural 
 
142 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 canopy overhead; below, the shimmering Rhine, 
 beckoning a gracious invitation to its placid 
 bosom. The joyous orchestra of the birds accom- 
 panied the merry strains Trudel played on his 
 fiddle. Jette danced, it made no difference who 
 asked her. She danced with the old retired Major 
 
 von B , and told him breathlessly it was 
 
 perfectly charming how young old people could 
 be. She danced with his grand-nephew, a lad 
 about her own age, who devoted himself to her 
 so assiduously that it prevented her from noticing 
 what otherwise could not have escaped her obser- 
 vation. The local doctor's wife and the attorney's 
 daughter were whispering all the time, and direct- 
 ing the most malevolent glances towards her. As 
 chance would have it, they were her vis-a-vis in 
 the same quadrille. They elevated their noses in 
 a very haughty manner indeed, looked over her 
 head when chasseeing to each other, and in the 
 ladies' chain drew away their hands in such an os- 
 tentatiously insulting manner that, astonished and 
 confused, Jette entirely lost her presence of mind. 
 She knew how to dance well enough, every 
 Rhinelander knows that by instinct. But she had 
 attended the village classes, where an itinerant 
 dancing-master taught every winter. With the 
 groschen the Frau Pastorin put in the big balls 
 of knitting yarn to stimulate her industry, she 
 had paid for her lessons. She looked forward to 
 them all the year round, and shivered many a cold 
 night in her room, burning the candle ends while 
 the rest of the household slept the sleep of the 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 143 
 
 unsuspecting, a book on the little deal table before 
 her, while the needles flew in and out, fast and 
 furious, to get at the coveted coin at the bottom 
 of the slowly diminishing ball of wool. If she 
 lacked the elegance and finish of the more polished 
 town circles, she certainly danced with all possible 
 natural grace, and an enthusiastic enjoyment which 
 made one smile. The behavior of her vis-a-vis 
 took her entirely by surprise. She wondered if 
 she had unintentionally done or said anything to 
 make them act so strangely. When the dance 
 was over, her partner left her to fetch something. 
 For a moment she stood alone, with her two ene- 
 mies beside her. She thought it would be only 
 good manners to apologize for the confusion she 
 had caused in the quadrille. 
 
 "I am sorry," she said timidly, "I danced so 
 badly. I don't know what made me forget the 
 different figures." 
 
 The doctor's wife, whose back was towards her, 
 looked over her shoulder, and surveyed her with 
 a long, haughty stare of astonishment. Jette felt 
 as if boiling hot water was running down her 
 spine, as this glance first took in her head, then 
 slowly, with impressive scorn, ended at her feet. 
 Then the lady, fully and ostentatiously, as if she 
 could not sufficiently emphasize her contempt, 
 turned round once more. But now Hans was 
 dancing; a wide circle had been formed. Trudel 
 had struck up the Czardas. Before he had grown 
 so old that his wandering footsteps craved a per- 
 manent rest, and anchored him safely at Hermers- 
 
144 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 dorff, he had traveled in many lands. He had 
 seen the Hungarians at their native dance, and 
 now he played with a fire and animation which 
 fairly brought the impressionable Hans to his feet. 
 At first he danced in even, measured rhythm, then 
 faster, ever faster, the fiddle fairly cracked itself 
 in passionate rejoicing. Jette, watching him with 
 sparkling eyes, forgot momentarily her trouble, 
 and in the excess of her transports, clapped her 
 hands, and laughed aloud. 
 
 "What does the Jewess know about dancing?" 
 said the attorney's daughter to her companion 
 scornfully. "Is not her behavior that of an 
 uncouth rustic? What business has she in this 
 distinguished company, any way ? " 
 
 "'Tis an insult to us all," said the doctor's 
 wife, carefully drawing her skirts away from any 
 possible contact with the girl who stood beside 
 her. " She ought to be sent to her native ghetto, 
 where she belongs. The impudent chit! to dare 
 to speak to me, as if I were of her own kind. 
 'Tis easy to see she picked up her dancing in 
 the Wirthshaus of a Sunday afternoon, prancing 
 around with Jackel and Peter, and all the rest of 
 them, the impudent Jewess." 
 
 The blood rushed in a torrent to the young 
 girl's head. She thought surely it must gush out 
 of her mouth and eyes. Then she turned icy 
 cold. She glanced around her. Hans was still 
 dancing. Everybody was looking on, absorbed in 
 their delight and interest. One glance she turned 
 full and composedly on the two women. It was 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 145 
 
 so large, so grand in its dignity, that their own 
 fell involuntarily. Then she slowly turned and 
 left the grounds. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 TWILIGHT was descending soft and fair. Its 
 holy radiance gave a benediction to the parting 
 day. The fairy colors of the afterglow still lin- 
 gered in the sky. It was the hour of calm, of 
 rest, and of peace, soothing the troubled spirit 
 into the contemplation of higher and nobler things 
 beyond. The gate of the parsonage garden clicked. 
 Babbett, who had just come out of the poultry 
 yard, feeding Jette's doves and chickens, looked 
 up. Minka, who had accompanied her, gave an 
 expressive purr. Then she darted towards the 
 newcomer, who took her up and cuddled her to 
 her breast. It was Jette. Not as she had gone 
 forth in the morning, radiant and gay. Her 
 white dress hung bedraggled and torn around 
 her. The large straw hat was pushed from her 
 sunburnt face. She limped as if footsore. Her 
 aspect was one of thorough fatigue and weariness. 
 
 "Jesus Maria! " cried Babbett; "what has hap- 
 pened? How comes it thou arrivest in such fash- 
 ion, and alone?" 
 
 The girl did not answer. The muscles of her 
 face worked. She gulped as if trying to swallow 
 something choking her. 
 
 "Wilt thou speak, then?" said Babbett wrath- 
 
146 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 fully; "the rest where are they why hast 
 thou left them?" 
 
 "Thou needest not worry about them," said the 
 girl. She had limped to a bench at the back of 
 the house, and flung oft' her hat. Now she gave 
 a long sigh of relief. Minka rubbed her whiskers 
 against her. Her fur was shedding, and the 
 girl's neck was covered with it. 
 
 "The animal knows thou art in trouble," said 
 Babbett. At this Jette burst out crying. She 
 sobbed so that the bench on which she sat shook 
 with the weight of her grief. Babbett seated her- 
 self beside her, and laid her hard, work-worn hand 
 on the girl's arm. She was of a hardy peasant 
 race, not given to sentiment or any demonstration 
 of feeling; but she had a heart in her bosom, and 
 though at first she had strongly resented Jette 's 
 coming into the family, the succeeding years had 
 accustomed her to look upon her as quite one of 
 themselves. She was growing old, and the girl 
 was a great help to her. If the toothache plagued 
 her in the cold winter nights, Jette would not allow 
 her to get up in the morning, but blithely and 
 cheerfully did her tasks for her, brought her a 
 cup of steaming hot coftee, tripped up and down 
 the steep stairs innumerable times for warm appli- 
 cations, and generally took care of her in the 
 loving, matter-of-fact manner in which life went 
 on at the parsonage. In the cold weather she did 
 all of the out-of-door work for her, knitted her 
 warm mittens and hoods, and gave her shawl an 
 extra twist so she should look nice and presentable 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 147 
 
 when she went to hear the Herr Pastor preach on 
 a Sunday. She grumbled and scolded as usual, 
 and showed no outward sign of appreciation. But 
 she was as fiercely loyal to the girl as to the family 
 in which she had lived almost all her life, and 
 would strongly have resented any harm offered to 
 her. 
 
 Jette sobbed on as if her heart was broken. 
 She was so thoroughly a child yet ! The consider- 
 ation and loving regard lavished upon her lately 
 made her the more susceptible to slights of any 
 kind. She was learning the inevitable lesson 
 which two thirds of us experience, that the fairest 
 prospects in the morning are blighted before 
 night. 
 
 "Now, now," said Babbett; "I should think 
 thou wouldst have done by now. Look at thy 
 slippers. They hardly hold together by the straps. 
 Hast thou walked all the way, then? " 
 
 "Yes," said the girl, "every step. In the 
 broiling hot sun, too. At times I thought I 
 should die; but I did not care. Oh, how glad I 
 am to be home again." 
 
 "H'm!" said Babbett, "that must have been 
 a fine walk all the way down the mountain, with 
 no shade whatever, and the sun right in thy face. 
 'Tis six good leagues, if 'tis a rod. Do the rest 
 know thou art come ? " 
 
 "I cannot tell. I left them all there quite 
 happy. Perhaps they will not find out I am gone 
 till 'tis time to go home. 1 would be so glad." 
 
 "But what happened, then, to make thee run 
 away?" 
 
148 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " I will tell thee presently. How my feet ache ! 
 Surely they must be full of holes ; I feel as if I 
 could never walk any more." 
 
 Babbett stooped down and pulled off what re- 
 mained of the slippers. "They may as well be 
 flung away," she said, "and thy stockings, too. 
 Everything thou hast on is ruined." 
 
 " 'T was my dancing-school dress," said the girl, 
 full of grief, "my slippers and all. The Frau 
 Pastorin will never buy me another. I fear she 
 will be very angry." 
 
 The old woman nodded her head. " What thou 
 hast to do now," she said, "is to go up to thy 
 room and take off these rags before she sees thee. 
 I will bring thee some warm water to bathe thy 
 feet. Thou 'It be all well as soon as thou hast 
 composed thyself." 
 
 It was quite the old Jette who sat at the sit- 
 ting-room window half an hour after. She had 
 put on her blue gingham dress, newly brushed 
 and coiled the glossy black hair, and, but for a 
 slight pallor of fatigue quite unusual to the bloom- 
 ing young face, looked as if nothing out of the 
 way had happened. The lamp on the big centre 
 table burnt low. Her eyes ached a little, and she 
 felt too tired to do anything but to sit still. A 
 horse came dashing down the village street, as if 
 it had been hard ridden. Its flanks were covered 
 with foam. The man in the saddle swung him- 
 self down, and eagerly ran up the graveled walk 
 to the house. He had seen the quiet figure at 
 the open window, sitting in the half dusk. In 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 149 
 
 another moment, hot and breathless, he was in 
 the room. 
 
 "Thank God," he said, "you are home!" It 
 was the doctor. He drew a chair forward, and 
 sat down deep in the shadow, where he could see 
 the light fall on her face. She was softly strok- 
 ing Minka, who lay full length in her lap. Her 
 head leaned in languid repose against the red- 
 cushioned back of the chair. With the unusual 
 pallor in her face, heightening the effect of her 
 black hair, she had certainly never looked more 
 heavenly fair. He folded his arms across his 
 chest, and looked at her so long it would have 
 embarrassed her, had she not been so tired. 
 
 "When did you reach home? " he asked. 
 
 "A little over an hour ago, I think. 'Twas 
 just after sundown." 
 
 "And walked all the way, I suppose? " 
 
 "Yes, truly." She was too indolent to speak 
 much. She did not even wonder why he was there. 
 
 " What made you do it ? We have been terri- 
 bly anxious about you. Some one suggested you 
 had fallen into the Rhine and drowned. Every 
 one searched for you. I took the major's horse 
 and came home. I knew I should find you here." 
 
 "What have I done?" she said, wringing her 
 hands. "I never intended to leave you in anxiety. 
 I was sure you would know." The tears were in 
 her eyes again, ready to fall. She looked at him 
 piteously. He strode over to the lamp and set it 
 flaring high. 
 
 "Come here," he said peremptorily. 
 
150 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 He spoke in the same tone he had used when 
 he pulled the thorn from her finger. She hated 
 to get up, but she knew she would have to obey. 
 When she came and stood in front of him, with 
 head hanging down, he put his hand under her 
 chin, and gently raised it. She did not want to 
 look at him, but she felt herself compelled to. 
 Her blue eyes gazed into his brown ones, and she 
 could not withdraw them. He read all he wanted 
 to, and a great deal more. Quietly he turned the 
 lamp down again. 
 
 "You certainly," he said cheerfully, "have the 
 best of it here. See, the moon is rising above 
 the firs. How peaceful and still all seems ! When 
 I am very tired, as you are now, Jettchen, I 
 will come back here to rest." 
 
 "You will never be tired from the same cause 
 as I am now," she said; "people will all be kind 
 to you." 
 
 "Humph!" he said. So that was it? Some 
 one had been unkind to her. "Don't you think," 
 he said, "that a scene like this impresses itself 
 on a man's heart, and recalls itself as an oasis 
 when he is far away from home ? I shall be gone 
 some years, you know. Where will you be when 
 I come back? " 
 
 "Why, here, of course," she said. She opened 
 her eyes wide, and laughed. "Where else should 
 I be?" 
 
 "At Madame Goldman's, perhaps." 
 
 "Will the Frau Pastorin let me visit her?" 
 she said eagerly; "oh, how delightful! " 
 
 \ 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 151 
 
 "Do you like Herr Goldman?" asked the doc- 
 tor brusquely. 
 
 "Herr Goldman! Why, I never thought of 
 him. He is so quiet one hardly ever notices 
 him." 
 
 "I mean the son, the young banker." 
 
 "He was good and kind to me," she said, "but 
 I do not like him nearly as well as his mother. I 
 feel as if I had known her all my life." 
 
 "Then you would not go where you were not 
 received with open arms," he said. 
 
 "No," she said, with a fierceness which was 
 the aftermath of the day's experience, "I would 
 not. I will not obtrude myself where I am not 
 welcomed. If any smile at me, I will smile back 
 at them. If they offer me their hand in friend- 
 ship, I will give them mine in return. Why 
 should we scowl and fume at one another ? Surely 
 the world is wide enough for each to go his sepa- 
 rate way." 
 
 "How comes it," said the doctor, "that you are 
 such a philosopher ? Mature views like these are 
 seldom entertained by one of your years. I am 
 afraid they smack somewhat of the bookshelf." 
 
 She turned very red, and cast a half -frightened, 
 half -steal thy look towards the Herr Pastor's 
 library. The doctor saw it, and laughed. 
 
 "Caught again," he said; "last time it was 
 Heine, now it is half a dozen musty old prosers, 
 tangled up finely in that young brain of yours. 
 Nay, but you are a veritable book-gobbler. Such 
 contraband reading may be very hurtful for you." 
 
152 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "It has taught me a great deal," she said 
 defiantly. 
 
 "H'm! You are not capable of judging of 
 that. Older heads like mine may see a great deal 
 of harm in it." 
 
 She pouted in her inimitably enticing fashion, 
 and tossed her head. "You are not so very old," 
 she said. 
 
 "It is very nice of you to think so," he said 
 seriously; "I feel as old as a patriarch." 
 
 She flashed her eyes wide open, as she had a 
 trick of doing, and looked at him quite compas- 
 sionately. Then she saw the twinkle in his eye, 
 and laughed. 
 
 "I am glad you are joking," she said; "indeed, 
 I felt very sorry for you. Only people who have 
 trouble feel old." 
 
 "Were you sorry for me, Jettchen?" he said. 
 
 She looked up, startled at his tone and the 
 sudden fire in his usually half -veiled eyes. She 
 recoiled as if stung by a whip. 
 
 "Look here," he said, quickly lapsing into his 
 usual half -bantering tone, "I have discovered so 
 many secrets of yours I feel quite guilty in con- 
 cealing them longer. What prevents me from 
 going to my mother, and warning her that you 
 are on the high road to perdition? " 
 
 "Because of the manhood within you," she said. 
 She arched her neck like a thoroughbred, and 
 looked at him with the full glory of her eyes. 
 "Truly, it would be a fine thing for you to turn 
 telltale, when you know perfectly well that any- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 153 
 
 thing you wished me to keep secret, not ten thou- 
 sand horses should tear from me." 
 
 "I know it," he said. "Thou art as mettlesome 
 as a war steed." Occasionally he lapsed into the 
 familiar thee and thou. "But being a man, you 
 see, with all a man's selfishness and ingratitude, 
 some sort of a bribe is due to me." 
 
 "What shall I give you?" she said. "I have 
 very little. Nothing at all, I am sure, that you 
 would value." 
 
 "That depends," he said, "the different ways 
 we look at it. You could give me something I 
 would prize very highly, and you would never 
 miss at all." 
 
 "Yes?" she asked anxiously; "then tell me. 
 If you must have something not to carry tales to 
 your mother," she added disdainfully. 
 
 " Will you give me a kiss, just one little one ? " 
 he said. His eyes were almost veiled as he looked 
 at her. 
 
 " A kiss ! " she ejaculated ; " a kiss ! " she repeated, 
 in consternation. She looked as if she would 
 sooner have expected the skies to fall. She threw 
 back her head, and laughed. "Why, that is no- 
 thing," she said. "You shall have it, if that is 
 all you want." 
 
 "Oh! " he exclaimed. He flushed darkly. He 
 hesitated. "Do you value your kisses so little?" 
 he said. 
 
 "Now you are joking," she said. "What can 
 there be in a kiss to make so much fuss about? 
 Except my mother, I never kissed anybody in my 
 life." 
 
154 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 He leaned over so suddenly, she was quite taken 
 unawares. Before she knew it, his long, blonde 
 mustache had swept across her cheek. Soft, fiery 
 lips were pressed upon her own. With a gesture 
 of anger and dislike, she swiftly drew back, and 
 passed her handkerchief across her mouth. 
 
 "I don't like that," she said; "I don't like 
 that!" she repeated furiously, stamping her foot. 
 She looked daggers at him, and there were tears 
 in her eyes. 
 
 "What is there in a kiss to make so much fuss 
 over?" he mocked, with aggravating triumph. 
 His face was radiant, and he laughed when she 
 still persistently drew the handkerchief across her 
 lips. "You can't wipe it away," he said; "it will 
 stay there forever." 
 
 She threw down the handkerchief in disgust. 
 "I will never kiss anybody again in my life," 
 she said, with a wry face. 
 
 "But you never kissed me. 'T was I who 
 kissed you." 
 
 "I don't care," she said angrily; "'tis all the 
 same." 
 
 "Oh, no," he said, "there is a vast difference. 
 But I am glad that after this you will not hold 
 your kisses so cheap." 
 
 "Never in my life will I allow any one to kiss 
 me again," she repeated vehemently. 
 
 "That is right," he said cheerfully; "by all 
 means adhere to it. When I come back, I shall 
 ask you." 
 
 "When you come back," she said loftily, "I 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 155 
 
 shall be grown up. I shall then have forgotten 
 all about it." 
 
 "Then I will recall it to your memory," he 
 said ; " till then you must never allow any one to 
 replace it with another." 
 
 "One must like people," she said scornfully, 
 "to want to kiss them. I am sure I shall never 
 care enough for anybody to do that." 
 
 "Not even me? " he asked. 
 
 "You ! " she exclaimed. "How can any one like 
 a person by whom one is detested? Dear Lord! 
 Did you not say I was hideous? Did not the 
 Frau Pastorin have to send me away to the Wild- 
 hof , so you should not be offended at the sight of 
 me? I I beg your pardon," she stammered 
 confusedly, struck by his changed face; "I did 
 not mean to be rude. I dare say I did not look 
 very nice just then. I was so disfigured, it makes 
 me shudder to recall it." 
 
 The doctor made a hasty step forward. Then 
 he stopped. 
 
 "Don't you think that people may change?" 
 he asked softly. 
 
 "I don't care whether you have changed or 
 not," she said, with that sudden transition of 
 mood which made one never sure of her. "You 
 quite broke my heart that time. If I had known 
 you were going to kiss me like that, I never would 
 have let you." 
 
 She ran out, slamming the door after her. The 
 doctor stared, whistled softly, and with a smile 
 curling the corners of his mouth, walked to the 
 window. Just then the others drove up. 
 
166 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTEK XXII 
 
 THE Frau Pastorin was very angry. Such 
 conduct in a chit of a girl had never been heard 
 of. To run off from a merry-making, leaving 
 every one in the greatest doubt and consternation 
 concerning her! 'Twas the last day, too, of the 
 Herr Baron's and Fritz's stay to spoil every- 
 thing in such inconsiderate fashion! Under the 
 circumstances, it was doubly reprehensible. Jette 
 was summoned from the poultry yard, where she 
 had gone to see if her pets were safely housed for 
 the night. She came in, pale, in somewhat of a 
 trepidation, but perfectly calm. 
 
 "'Tis a relief to find thee safely home," said 
 the Frau Pastorin severely. "No, never mind! 
 Thou needest not help me off with my mantle. 
 What made thee run off in such unseemly fashion, 
 without leaving word with anybody? " 
 
 "Oh, but I did," said Jette; "I asked the 
 Fraulein von Sprechnau's footman, who was just 
 then repacking the hamper, to tell you that I had 
 gone home." 
 
 "But he never told any of us a word," cried 
 the Frau Pastorin; "he surely must have seen the 
 distress we were in." 
 
 "Why should he not have given thy message, 
 Jettchen?" asked the Herr Pastor. He looked 
 at her steadily. Whenever he did so, she knew 
 the full truth would have to be told. 
 
 "I cannot imagine any reason," she said, "ex- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 157 
 
 cept his insolence. When I asked him to deliver 
 my message, he said he would, if I gave him a 
 kiss for a Trinkgeld." 
 
 "What! " ejaculated the Magyar fiercely; "but 
 you should have come to me, Fraulein. I would 
 have pulled the wretch's skin over his ears." 
 
 The doctor fingered the tips of his mustache 
 nervously. "These canaille," he said, "take their 
 cue from their betters. Some one must have been 
 very impertinent to you, Jettchen." 
 
 "I did not think he was in earnest," she said, 
 evading a direct reply; "as he saw me go, I was 
 sure he would tell the Frau Pastorin." 
 
 " But you have not told us the reason why you 
 left," said the Herr Pastor. 
 
 "You were all enjoying yourselves," she said. 
 "I did not want to spoil your pleasure. It was 
 just when Herr von Czechy was dancing. The 
 Frau Doctorin and Fraulein Schmidt, the attor- 
 ney's daughter, stood close beside me. They 
 spoke about me in a very insulting manner. If 
 they had spoken to me direct, I would not have 
 cared so much; but this talking at me gave me 
 no excuse to answer. I turned and left a com- 
 pany where I saw I was not wanted." 
 
 " Thou dear Heaven ! but what could they say 
 about thee?" cried the Frau Pastorin, in great 
 agitation. 
 
 She kept her eyes on the floor for a moment. 
 If she had looked at any one, she knew she must 
 have burst into tears. The Herr Pastor would 
 not have liked that. She knew that under all 
 
158 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 circumstances lie wanted her to show self-con- 
 trol. 
 
 "They said I had no business there," she said 
 finally ; " that I was a Jewess, and had no right 
 to obtrude myself into such distinguished com- 
 pany. They would not touch my hand in the 
 quadrille." She asked, with a gesture both proud 
 and pathetic, "Is there any need to say any 
 more?" 
 
 "Now may the thunder crash! " cried the Frau 
 Pastorin, in high anger. "They, distinguished 
 company, indeed! Why, the doctor's wife is a 
 butcher's daughter from Gelsbach " 
 
 "Cattle-dealer, Mammachen," interrupted the 
 Herr Pastor mildly. 
 
 "Ah, bah! where 's the difference? Cattle- 
 dealer or butcher, 't is all the same. And as for 
 Fraulein Schmidt thou dear Heaven! Her 
 grandfather trundled a wheelbarrow on her grand- 
 mother's farm, and when her first husband died, 
 she married him. 'T was nothing but spite, the 
 rancorous old maid! that made her speak thus," 
 exclaimed the Frau Pastorin contemptuously. 
 
 "Then you are not angry with me for leav- 
 ing?" said Jette timidly. 
 
 "Yes, I am, very," said the Frau Pastorin 
 energetically; "thou shouldst have come to me, 
 above all things, and not minded what those two 
 persons said. A butcher's daughter and a peas- 
 ant laborer's grand-daughter to carry matters 
 with so high a hand, forsooth! Wait till I see 
 them again. But I will rub it into them ! " 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 159 
 
 "Thou must not be so susceptible," said the 
 pastor to Jette reprovingly; "as thou growest older 
 and mixest more with the world, thou wilt find 
 that envy, hate, malice, will find the weak spot in 
 thy armor, and mercilessly take advantage of it. 
 One has only to prick human nature to find how 
 little humanity there lies beneath." 
 
 "Can I help being a Jewess?" she asked. 
 "Why should they scorn me because of it?" 
 
 "Thy religion," said the pastor, in his resonant 
 voice, which reached far and wide when he was 
 greatly in earnest, "concerns no one but thee. 
 'Tis something alone between thee and thy God. 
 'T is not a thing to cavil at, or to cast aside be- 
 cause of the sneers of others. As well might 'st 
 thou pluck out an eye, or hew a limb from thy 
 body. 'Tis part and parcel of thyself, as much 
 as the blood which goes to nourish thy heart; 
 nay, more so, because 't is the spiritual part of 
 thee, that which never dies, thy passport to the 
 Almighty One, who knows of all thy doings. 'T is 
 a thing of ancestry, of heredity, of circumstances. 
 'T was born with thee, and will abide with thee 
 till death. 'T is thy sacred, inalienable right, with 
 which the other has naught to do. Thou wert 
 born a Jewess, and wilt die a Jewess, and being 
 such, thou art naught else but thyself. Let those 
 look to it who would cast it up to thee. Thou 
 canst no more undo it than curse the mother who 
 bore thee for bearing thee so. And being so, 
 thou must rest content in the consciousness of thy 
 birthright, which so long as thou actest to the 
 
160 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 utmost of thy convictions surely gives thee the 
 advantage over those who would look down upon 
 thee. As the reputation of the community de- 
 pends upon the behavior of the individual, so the 
 individual has often the sins of the community to 
 shoulder. Bear thyself always that no blame can 
 attach to thee, so wilt thou best disarm criticism, 
 which, after all, depends as much upon the indi- 
 vidual as education and environment." 
 
 In the doctor's room, Hans was wrestling with 
 straps and portmanteaus long after everybody had 
 gone to bed. 
 
 "Lie there," he said, giving the last bag a 
 vicious kick ; " thou and I are going to flee from 
 temptation to-morrow. ' ' 
 
 "Dost thou include me in thy amiable rhap- 
 sody?" asked the doctor, yawning. 
 
 "Holy Maria! thou! thou cold-blooded cynic! 
 Tell me," he burst out angrily, "is it wise of 
 thy father to make such a martyr of that girl? 
 'T would all be very fine and quite proper among 
 her own people. But, dear Heaven! she has a 
 heart, I suppose, like the rest of us, and one day 
 she will find it out. What will she do, then? " 
 
 "Give it to Herr Goldman, of course." 
 
 "I would like to fling thee out of the window. 
 Scoffer! Oh, only wait! One of these days I 
 will crow over thee. Fritz! dost thou not see 
 how wretched her life must be, if she fall in love 
 with some one not of her own persuasion?" 
 
 The doctor was leaning far over the window 
 sill. The moon was rapidly on the wane. But 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 161 
 
 for the feeble light of the solitary candle, the 
 room was in semi-darkness. A dove occasionally 
 stirred and cooed drowsily. The scent of the 
 mignonette and jasmine floated in at the window. 
 The earth exhaled the peculiar dampness charac- 
 teristic of the midnight hour. Out on the tall lilac 
 bush the nightingale had just begun her plaintive 
 fluting. The doctor listened for a moment; then 
 he turned his back to the window. 
 
 "If the man have a man's heart in his bosom," 
 he said, "he will not let anything stand in his 
 way, but marry her." 
 
 "He may be ten thousand times willing to 
 marry her, but she will never marry him." 
 
 "Ah," said the doctor out of the gloom. 
 
 "Ah and oh as much as thou pleasest. How 
 canst thou expect it, with such ideas inculcated 
 in her young mind ? She will sacrifice her heart 
 to her religion, depend upon it." 
 
 "Thou art as cheerful as an owl, with thy 
 impossible contingencies. Depend upon it, they 
 will never arise. She is so young yet, hardly six- 
 teen. Herr Goldman will come and propose for 
 her. She 'will marry him out goes your ro- 
 mance." 
 
 "Perhaps it is the best she can do," said Hans 
 moodily ; "yet I would have wished her a better 
 fate. Besides, I hardly think thy father will give 
 her in marriage yet." 
 
 "No?" said the doctor; he was still listening 
 to the nightingale. 
 
 "I heard him say the other day that a woman 
 
162 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 ought never to marry until she is twenty; and 
 that if it rested with him, none ever should.'* 
 
 "Exceptional cases require exceptional treat- 
 ment," said the doctor; "depend upon it, the 
 first news we shall receive will be of her engage- 
 ment." 
 
 "Bah," said Hans pettishly; "thou hast neither 
 heart nor understanding, else thou wouldst not 
 talk so." 
 
 "Hark," said the doctor; "listen to the night- 
 ingale. How ravishing her song! Ah! there 
 comes her mate. Oh, their raptures ! Brr ! Let 
 me shut the window. The night has grown cold." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 "DoST thou grieve I am going away? Dost 
 thou really grieve, Liebchen? " 
 
 The Magyar and Jette were standing in the 
 embrasure of the window. The sobs of the Frau 
 Pastor in came from the next room, where she 
 stood, clinging to her son. The "extra post," 
 with its postilion outriders, had just dashed up to 
 the door. Babbett was busy bestowing traveling- 
 bags in the smallest possible space. Everything 
 was ready for the young men's departure. Jette 
 really could not restrain her tears. The genial, 
 merry Hans, with his boyish pranks and super- 
 abundance of fun", had endeared himself to every- 
 body. Within the walls of the parsonage his 
 memory would endure as long as its inmates lived. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 163 
 
 His gay, hearty laugh, the graceful turn of his 
 shoulders when he kept time to the Kossuth 
 March, his tall, willowy figure, and his flashing 
 black eyes, reflecting his sunny, noble disposition 
 in their clear depths, who would ever forget 
 them ? It was no wonder Jette felt as if the sun 
 was going out of her life. With the exaggerated 
 grief of youth, she thought it never would shine 
 any more. She knew that Hans was fond of her. 
 How fond, it was just as well she did not know. 
 She had twined herself around his heartstrings. 
 He was sure that never, never would he forget 
 her. Some such memory haunts most of us. It 
 forms a sacred shrine in the innermost recesses 
 of the heart, where the penetrating gaze of even 
 the nearest and dearest never reaches. Touched 
 by her tears, and carried away by his own emo- 
 tion, Hans raised the sweet face, and kissed her 
 on the brow. 
 
 "I will return," he said, deeply moved; "be 
 true to me, thou darling sweet one." 
 
 She slipped a cigar case, elaborately embroid- 
 ered in violet and silver, into his hands. 
 
 "I sat up nights to finish it," she sobbed. 
 "Carrier Mueller took it to Cologne to have it 
 mounted. It is all I can give you. You have 
 been so kind to me, you have given me so much 
 pleasure. I hope you will use it as a little keep- 
 sake." 
 
 Hans took it, and kissed it. "Thou dear one," 
 he said, "thou sweet, good, unspoiled one. I will 
 wear thy little gift, and each time I draw it forth, 
 
164 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 thy sweet face shall rise up before me. And when 
 it gets shabby from overmuch use, it shall remain 
 the most treasured of all my possessions still." 
 And that he really felt what he said, and never 
 changed, the subsequent years proved. For in 
 the magnificent castle of Czechy, one of the most 
 palatial possessions on the banks of the blue Dan- 
 ube, in the study of the master, is a costly wrought 
 silver stand with priceless crystal globe. And 
 under it, worn with long use, the shabby little 
 case reposes, a sacred relic, doubly sacred by 
 reason of what happened afterwards. 
 
 The guard swung his horn for the dozenth time. 
 "Die Post im Walde," rung out clear and shrill, 
 as a last urging. " Schier dreizig Jahre bist Du 
 alt, hast manchen Sturm erlebt," sung Hans. 
 The doctor came out of the adjoining room, his 
 mother clinging to his hand, his father's arm 
 around his neck. The Frau Pastorin's eyelids 
 were red, and she sobbed as if her heart would 
 break. 
 
 "Ah, bah! " cried Hans ; " 't is not thus we must 
 part, with tears and sobs to speed us. No, indeed 
 not. Joyous as our next greeting shall it be. 
 Thou, Fritz! whistle, as was thy wont while we 
 were at Bonn. Attention ! " 
 
 He bounded into the middle of the room, flung 
 the chairs right and left, and began to dance. 
 Ye gods, how he did dance ! The old house shook, 
 and at one time it seemed as if the roof must 
 topple over them. The madder he danced, the 
 madder the doctor whistled. At first every one 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 165 
 
 caught his breath in consternation. Then they 
 smiled, they beamed, they clapped their hands. 
 The fever of the Czardas was upon them. When 
 at length he stopped for sheer want of breath, he 
 made a rush for his top coat and hat, and bounded 
 into the post-chaise before the rest could follow. 
 Jette came up, a tear in one eye, a laugh in the 
 other. "Thou 'It remain true," whispered Hans. 
 The doctor sprang in beside him. The girl looked 
 at Fritz as if undecided ; then she quickly placed 
 something in his hand. "Because you have been 
 good to me," she murmured. His hand closed 
 softly over the small, embroidered letter portfolio. 
 His eyes roamed over her from head to foot, with 
 a long, lingering gaze. His mother kissed him 
 convulsively. She put her arms around Hans 
 von Czechy's neck in a last embrace. The Herr 
 Pastor held a hand of each. Babbett stood at 
 the chaise door, ready to slam it to when they 
 should be off. She fingered the liberal Trinkgeld 
 the young men had given her with one hand, the 
 other held a corner of her apron to her eyes. 
 Minka looked on from the gate, with big, solemn 
 eyes. The guard swung his horn, the postilions 
 lashed their horses. "Adieu," "Lebewohl," "Nein, 
 nein, auf Wiedersehen," resounded from all sides. 
 One more glimpse of the travelers leaning far out 
 of either coach window, a frantic waving of hand- 
 kerchiefs, a cloud of dust, they were gone. 
 
166 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTEK XXIV 
 
 WHEN all the cleaning and scouring consequent 
 upon the guests' departure was done, the parson- 
 age settled into its humdrum routine again. It 
 was then everybody began to realize what a fright- 
 ful void was left. Each time the Frau Pastorin 
 looked up from her sewing, she fancied she must 
 see her son and the young Magyar come up the 
 graveled walk, arm in arm, their heads close to- 
 gether, laughing over some nonsense, so near 
 of a height together, the one so fair, the other so 
 dark, graceful, muscular, and strong, so good 
 in every way to look at. Her clear eyes would 
 cloud with tears, it was some time before she 
 was able to look at her sewing again. The Herr 
 Pastor, coming in from his parochial duties, 
 glanced around the silent, empty room, hung up 
 his hat, and went over and kissed her in his hearty 
 fashion. 
 
 "'Tis what we must expect, Liebste," he said; 
 "the young birds leave the nest in course of time. 
 At all events, thou and I are left. And right 
 merry old sweethearts we will be, eh? " 
 
 "I shall be more reconciled," she sobbed, "after 
 I get the first news. And I suppose before Fritz 
 comes back, Henriette will be gone, too." 
 
 "Softly, softly, softly," said the Herr Pastor; 
 "not so fast, Kind. Give her time first to wear 
 out the shoes of her childhood. 'T will be a good 
 four or five years yet, I promise thee." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 167 
 
 "She is very tall for her age," said the Frau 
 Pastorin ; " really, the day of the picnic she looked 
 to me quite womanly. Everybody was surprised 
 when I told them how very young she was." 
 
 "'Tis a disadvantage, certainly," said the Herr 
 Pastor, "to be so forward in growing when one 
 is but a child. Things are expected of one with- 
 out regard to circumstances." 
 
 "Thou hast not forgotten Madame Goldman's 
 letter?" said the Frau Pastorin. "Suppose the 
 contingency were to arise." 
 
 "It may not arise," he said composedly; "let 
 us put it to the proof first." 
 
 And it was not long in coming. 
 
 Jette had gone to the village on a little errand 
 for the Frau Pastorin. For the first two or three 
 days after the young men had left, she grieved 
 violently and persistently. Her eyelids were red 
 with weeping, and often in the midst of her work 
 she would catch her breath with a great sob. 
 
 "'Tis calf love," said Babbett complacently; 
 "for a little while it hurts, like cutting a tooth, 
 or jamming one's finger. But 't will not last long. 
 When the tooth is safely through, and the finger 
 bound up, we laugh and dance more gayly than 
 ever. 'T is good for thy infant feelings to get 
 schooled this way. Thou 'It not be so susceptible 
 next time." 
 
 But Jette refused to be comforted. She thought 
 her grief was going to last forever. All the sun- 
 shine had gone out of her life, leaving it dreary 
 and colorless as an arid waste. She continually 
 
168 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 talked about Hans von Czechy, and speculated 
 at what part of his journey he must be now. It 
 was Herr von Czechy here, Herr von Czechy 
 there. The doctor she never mentioned. Never- 
 theless, she slept very soundly at night, and the 
 fourth morning came down singing a blithe little 
 song. A week after, she was quite her old self 
 again, read on the sly as usual, industriously 
 weeded her garden, and slid down the banisters, 
 if she was in a hurry to get down. Once or twice 
 she went up to Hermersdorff . Thekla was as kind 
 and gracious as ever, but a certain something in 
 her manner struck a chill to the girl's heart. She 
 was going abroad with her father. The professor 
 had often wished to visit Athens to make some 
 historical researches there. Now he had obtained 
 a long leave of absence. They were going to 
 travel leisurely, and visit most foreign cities by 
 the way. Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Buda-Pesth, 
 yes, indeed, they were going to take their own 
 time about it. When Fraulein von Hermersdorff 
 told the Frau Pastor in, she could have hugged 
 her. Dear, clever girl ! She was going to meet 
 Fritz abroad ; now at last he would declare him- 
 self, they would come back engaged. Her rosy 
 visions mounted heaven high again. 
 
 So Jette attributed the certain indefinable some- 
 thing in Fraulein von Hermersdorff's manner to 
 her busy preparations for her departure. There 
 was so much to see to, yes, of course that was 
 it. How could people be smiling and smirking 
 when they didn't know where their heads stood 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 169 
 
 for work? But she went to Hermersdorff no 
 more. Her proud little heart was more sensitive 
 than her reason. She found consolation in her 
 books, and went out into the glad sunshine. As 
 she had said, the world was wide; she could go 
 her own way without rubbing elbows with others. 
 As she walked up the village street, a child's 
 pitiful wail struck upon her ear. It was one of 
 the sounds she could never listen to without keen 
 distress. She turned her head, and there at the 
 open window stood Gret, whose spiteful, squint- 
 eyed face she never could see without remembering 
 with a shudder the time when she had led the at- 
 tack which came near ending in murder. Gret, 
 or Gretel, as she was generally called, was mar- 
 ried now, and had an angel child. No one could 
 account how Gret came by her. It was one of 
 those strange phenomena with which Nature, in 
 one of her capricious moods, likes to perplex man- 
 kind. Gret, with her hair and complexion the 
 same uniform straw color, the detestable cast in 
 her pale eyes, pig-mouthed and flat-nosed, was as 
 ugly a creature as one would wish to avoid meet- 
 ing. She was notorious for miles around as the 
 most evil-tongued, malicious, slandering gossip 
 that ever incumbered a community. Everybody 
 was polite to her, for everybody feared her. One 
 was never safe to utter the most indifferent 
 opinion in her presence. Her lying tongue would 
 pounce upon it, and twist, turn, and distort it 
 to her own malicious purpose. She had caused 
 friends to become enemies, and occasioned more 
 
170 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 ill feeling and heartburning than any dozen per- 
 sons put together. If any one wanted some dis- 
 agreeable news conveyed to some one else, they 
 had only to tell Gret, under promise of the strict- 
 est secrecy. Before another hour had elapsed, it 
 was proclaimed hydra-tongued from the market- 
 place. Her household was left to take care of 
 itself, in her devouring greed for gossip. At the 
 parsonage she was detested, and the Frau Pastor in 
 never allowed her to come further than the kitchen 
 threshold. She would come occasionally to make 
 a great outcry about the manner Peter, her black 
 cat, had been mauled by Minka. Ostensibly, this 
 was her purpose. In reality, it was to find out 
 what was going on, for she did not care a kreutzer 
 for Peter's mauling. The last time she had come 
 to the parsonage door was during the doctor's and 
 the young Baron von Czechy's visit. Babbett had 
 then told her plainly that if she ever showed her- 
 self on a similar errand, she would expedite her 
 departure with the other end of the broom. Her 
 husband, a thick-skulled, good-natured, well-to-do 
 yokel, who had been entrapped into the marriage 
 by the most fabulous promises of a fat dowry, and 
 after the wedding got roundly laughed at for his 
 credulity, let her do mainly as she pleased. He 
 was afraid of her lashing tongue, and providing 
 he had food set before him three times a day and 
 a made bed to sleep in, was stolidly indifferent to 
 the neglected condition of his house. His pretty 
 little girl baby was his perpetual wonder and 
 delight. The good looks he and his wife had 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 171 
 
 between them could never be made a reproach to 
 either. He was pretty much the same complexion 
 as herself, a stupid, colorless clod, entirely influ- 
 enced and ruled by her. What had the pretty, 
 blue-eyed, golden-haired baby, with its delicate, 
 lily face, to do with such parents? It cried and 
 cried, as if it longed to go to where it rightfully 
 belonged. It took kindly to the father, but would 
 draw no nourishment from the mother's breast. 
 The wise old women wagged their heads, and 
 prophesied the baby would never live. But it did, 
 and throve into the bargain, much to the loutish 
 father's delight. 
 
 It happened that one day, when the baby was 
 six months old, Jette passed the house, and she 
 smiled at the little creature in its mother's arms, 
 on the house-step, and cooed in her soft, caressing 
 way, as she did to her pet doves. The baby 
 looked at her with its large, mournful blue eyes, 
 cried as if its heart would break, and stretched 
 out its arms to her. There was no help for it, 
 she had to take it, and the little creature crowed 
 and laughed for the first time in its life, and clung 
 to her as if it would never let her go. Since then 
 it cried incessantly for her, and no one could 
 pacify it but Jette. The Frau Pastor in would 
 not allow her to go to Gret's house, so whenever 
 the baby became too fretful, it was brought to 
 the parsonage, where it was left by the hour to- 
 gether. The big mahogany cradle in which the 
 Frau Pastorin had put her dolls to sleep, and 
 which had accompanied her, among her other 
 
172 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 effects, from her Pomeranian home, was fetched 
 down from the garret, the soft down ticking newly 
 covered, and Lieschen put into it when she went 
 to sleep. The dolls were gone long ago, but the 
 baby fitted the cradle, with plenty of room to 
 spare. Now when Lieschen 's pitiful wail struck 
 upon Jette's ear, she could not do otherwise than 
 take her, though the Frau Pastorin had cautioned 
 her never to stop to speak with Gret on any pre- 
 tense whatever. 
 
 "Yes, take the brat," said Gret peevishly; 
 "surely thou hast bewitched her. All day long 
 she does nothing but howl after thee." 
 
 Gret had never ceased to address the girl by 
 the familiar thee and thou, though she was grow- 
 ing up, and people naturally conceded her the 
 respect which belonged to her. After the manner 
 of her class, Gret assumed that the more effrontery 
 she displayed, the more surely did she put herself 
 on a footing of equality. For all the foolish cod- 
 dling they gave the girl at the parsonage, Gret 
 declared, she for one was not going to forget she 
 was a waif picked up from the highway, who came 
 from the dear Lord only knew, a beggar strumpet 
 of a Jewess, who for airs and graces did not know 
 where her head stood, beholden to charity for the 
 very chemise she wore on her back. Oh, indeed ! 
 If she had forgotten it, and everybody else had 
 forgotten it, Gret was not going to ; but she would 
 rub it into her at each and every opportunity, 
 never fear! 
 
 Jette took the child from the skinny arms of 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 173 
 
 the mother into her own divinely rounded ones. 
 With her young, innocent eyes she smiled into the 
 baby ones, pursed up her rosy mouth, and cooed 
 so sweetly and softly that the child crowed with 
 rapture. 
 
 "Now let any one listen to that!" said Gret 
 discontentedly ; " not once in all the time does she 
 do that with me. What is it that ails the brat ? 
 Am I not her mother, her own natural mother, and 
 thou a perfect stranger? Yet she seems happier 
 with thee." 
 
 "Oh, no," said Jette; "'tis just the change, 
 that is all. If you would go out with her, 
 out beyond the village, where there is nothing 
 but sunshine and green trees and flowers, and the 
 birds sing so heavenly, I think Lieschen would 
 feel happier." 
 
 "1 dare say," said Gret, with lofty contempt. 
 "A gadabout like fchee, who lives on other peo- 
 ple's bounty, and cares not from whence it comes, 
 can easily do that. But I have my household to 
 look after, a husband to care for, who comes home 
 hungry to his meals, fine advice that is thou 
 givest me, to go lazying about all day long. As if 
 one had nothing else to do but listen to the birds 
 singing! Truly, a fine thing! " 
 
 She laughed jeeringly, and looked the girl all 
 over. "Well, I must say," she resumed, "they 
 trick thee out finely at the parsonage. A clean 
 dress as often as you please, and each time 't is a 
 different color. I dare say the young baron who 
 stayed there gave thee a handsome Trinkgeld. 
 
174 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Perhaps thou didst put an extra polish ou his 
 boots. I heard that thou and Babbett quarreled 
 who should clean them. Thou art a sly one, thou 
 art, and knowest a good place when thou hast got 
 it. I only wonder that old hag Babbett stands it. 
 Perhaps thou thinkest to step into her shoes when 
 she is too old to work any more. 'T would be a 
 fine thing for thee, truly. If I were thee, I would 
 insist upon some wages then. Surely they can't 
 think to have thy services for nothing all the 
 time. Thou wilt have to earn money, otherwise 
 what will become of thee ? No one will marry a 
 poor girl who has not a chemise to her back. 
 Look at me. I am already married, and not so 
 very much older as thou, either." 
 
 Jette rose. She gently laid the sleeping Lies- 
 chen in her cradle. All the time she had been 
 singing softly, and the baby, with a rapturous 
 smile, had gradually closed her eyes. She bent 
 over the cradle, and gave the child a long, pitying 
 gaze. The look was still on her face when she 
 turned to the mother. 
 
 "When Lieschen cries," she said, "bring her 
 to the parsonage. Thou mayest safely leave her 
 there, and go about thy business." 
 
 She held her head very high as she went, vow- 
 ing never, never to disobey the Frau Pastorin 
 again. Gret's squint eyes were set, and her 
 mouth agape in astonishment. Then she clenched 
 her hands in fury. "The insolent strumpet! " she 
 gasped ; " to speak to me as if I were dirt beneath 
 her feet. ' Thou mayest safely leave her, and go 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 175 
 
 about thy business,' indeed! With what an air 
 she said it ! and the tone of her voice ! quite the 
 lady of quality, I declare! The beggar. Well, 
 this is delicious news. 'Twill make everybody 
 roar, I am sure." She stole out, leaving her 
 sleeping child alone. 
 
 Jette went on her errand for the Frau Pastorin. 
 It was already well on in the afternoon when she 
 neared the parsonage gate. Babbett beckoned 
 her from the kitchen window. The old peasant 
 woman seemed quite excited. 
 
 "Go in," she whispered, "just as thou art. 
 Thou 'It do very well. Some one there is in there 
 who will be glad to see thee." 
 
 Jette 's heart gave a great bound. The blood 
 rushed in a wave to her head. Was it could it 
 be but no. How absurd ! He was on his way 
 home probably had reached there by now. And 
 yet She hastily smoothed down her dress and 
 went to the sitting-room. She heard voices within 
 in animated conversation. Softly opening the 
 door, she went in. Some one rose, and eagerly 
 came forward to greet her. It was Herr Gold- 
 man. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 "I HAVE said it," said the pastor, "and I stand 
 by it. The girl is a mere child. 'T would be a 
 grievous sin to expect her to take the duties and 
 responsibilities of wifehood upon her. Why, she 
 has not done growing yet. Give her body time 
 
176 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 to develop, and her judgment to ripen. Then with 
 God's help and such enlightenment as time and 
 circumstances shall give her, she will most prob- 
 ably not say you nay." 
 
 "Most dear and reverend sir," said Herr Gold- 
 man, "do I not entirely submit myself into your 
 hands? Only permit me to point out to your 
 superior wisdom and understanding that ideas 
 differ as to length of time. When you urge upon 
 me the necessity of waiting three years " 
 
 "Four," interrupted the pastor. 
 
 "As I understand," said the exasperated suitor, 
 "the Fraulein is close upon her seventeenth year. 
 When you mentioned you would not allow her to 
 marry under twenty " 
 
 "Dear Herr Banquier," genially said the pastor, 
 "you forget that Jettchen is no city Fraulein. 
 She is very young for her age. Her somewhat 
 isolated life has probably had something to do 
 with it. At Fasching (Carnival time) she will be 
 seventeen. We are now upon the close of the 
 summer. You will understand I was correct when 
 I stipulated that four years from now would be 
 far more appropriate for renewing your suit." 
 
 "We will not split hairs, Herr Banquier," said 
 the Frau Pastorin ; " 't is a great honor you have 
 done both us and the girl. If in three years from 
 now you are of the same mind " 
 
 "Four," said the obstinate pastor. 
 
 "Now, now, now," said the Frau Pastorin, 
 "one need not be so particular about a few months 
 when one's whole future is involved. Indeed, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 177 
 
 Herr Banquier, I repeat, I consider it a great 
 honor for the girl, and the rarest piece of good 
 fortune for one in her position, besides." 
 
 "All of which does not help me," said the 
 banker, " if you give me no better encouragement. 
 With all due respect to your superior judgment, 
 Herr Pastor, and yours, Frau Pastorin, can you 
 tell me of any suitor who would be willing to wait 
 upon mere indefinite promises? " 
 
 The Frau Pastorin looked at the Herr Pastor. 
 Her eyes beamed meaningly. Certainly the banker 
 was justified in what he said. 'T would be a 
 grievous sin and shame to let such a goldfish slip 
 through one's fingers. Penniless girls were not 
 pelted with such chances every day, even though he 
 did have red hair and a club foot. It was a ro- 
 mance, one of those improbable things one read 
 about, but which rarely, if ever, happened in real 
 life. 
 
 " We would not be so unjust to you, Herr Ban- 
 quier," she said, "or to the girl, either. Your 
 proposal, magnificent and generous as it is, has 
 taken us completely by surprise. We have never 
 thought of Henriette in regard to marriage. She 
 is so young yet " 
 
 " My mother was married when she was a year 
 younger," said the banker. "She was the Frau- 
 lein's age when I was born." 
 
 "Very likely," said the pastor quietly. He 
 shuddered inwardly. "Before I decide upon the 
 girl's future, she must have a voice in the matter. 
 For that she is not competent yet. If I judge 
 
178 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 her rightly, the mere idea of marriage will be 
 abhorrent to her. She has never heard of it in 
 relation to herself. Give her time to accustom 
 herself to the idea." 
 
 "And you expect me to be satisfied with this?" 
 said the banker. 
 
 "Nothing of the kind," said the pastor. "I 
 beg of you, if these conditions do not suit you, to 
 take your own course. I take it you are really in 
 love" 
 
 "I am," said Herr Goldman, "really and truly. 
 Would I be here otherwise? I loved her from 
 the first moment I saw her." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin was delighted. The Herr 
 Pastor also was touched. 
 
 "Believe me," he said gently, "I am acting 
 in your best interests. 'T would not be at all for 
 your happiness were I rash enough to grant your 
 request. Surely you are old enough to know that." 
 
 "You may be right, reverend sir," said Herr 
 Goldman obstinately, "but at the present moment 
 I fail to see it. All I know is, I love her, and I 
 want her. Thou dear Heaven ! She would have 
 a life like a queen. Do you not think she would 
 be grateful? Bah! At all events, I am old 
 enough to know that. She would love me, of 
 course she would. Where, then, is the necessity 
 of waiting?" 
 
 "Jacob waited longer for Eachel than that," 
 said the pastor. 
 
 "Jacob," said the banker contemptuously, "was 
 a pauper. Do you think he waited for pleasure, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 179 
 
 or as a test to his own patience? He had to earn 
 the wherewithal first to satisfy that old skinflint 
 Laban of his ability to support her. Really, I 
 fail to see how in the present instance the com- 
 parison holds good." 
 
 The pastor winced. To call the revered bibli- 
 cal patriarch a pauper hurt him as much as if 
 some one had personally affronted him. 
 
 "Love leaves its impression," said the banker, 
 "upon a young, untouched heart. In most cases it 
 comes only after marriage. Look at my mother. 
 She was too young to be consulted. Yet I defy 
 the world over to point out a happier union." 
 
 "Jettchen has been brought up differently," 
 said the pastor; "she is accustomed to think and 
 act for herself. She has very strong likes and 
 dislikes. Yet she is obedient and tractable." 
 
 "Let me ask her, then," said Herr Goldman 
 eagerly; "support my suit, and let me put the 
 engagement ring on her finger. 'T will help her 
 to accustom herself to the idea that at some time 
 not very far distant she will be mine. Dear 
 Heaven ! Was ever suitor content with so little ? 
 I will wait till she is nineteen " 
 
 The Herr Pastor was about to interpose, but 
 the Frau Pastorin said quickly and cordially, " Of 
 course, of course. I for my part shall make no 
 further objections, then, neither do I think will 
 my husband." She looked at the banker mean- 
 ingly, as much as to say, " I shall take very good 
 care he doesn't." 
 
 " Well," said Herr Goldman, with a sigh, "'tis 
 
180 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 a great disappointment to me, and 't will be more 
 so to my mother. She longs to see me settled in 
 life." 
 
 "The Herr Banquier, your father" hazarded 
 the pastor. 
 
 Herr Goldman laughed. "Whatever pleases 
 mamma pleases papa also," he said; "the most 
 ardent wish of both my parents is to see me 
 married." 
 
 "All parents wish that," said the Frau Pastorin, 
 "as soon as their children are grown up." She 
 thought of her own son, and her hopes rose high. 
 Fritz married to the heiress of Hermersdorff, and 
 Henriette married to this rich man, surely she 
 was a happy woman. Could matters turn out 
 more luckily? 
 
 "In the mean time," she said, "Henriette shall 
 visit Madame Goldman next Carnival. 'Twill 
 give her an opportunity to get thoroughly well 
 acquainted with her future surroundings. Oh, 
 yes. Time will pass quickly enough. Aha ! here 
 comes Henriette." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 FOR a moment Jette turned cold with disap- 
 pointment, as Herr Goldman stumped forward to 
 meet her. It was unfortunate for his suit he 
 should have come at a time when her heart was 
 entirely filled with the bright image of Hans von 
 Czechy. The contrast of his squat, bull-necked 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 181 
 
 figure, his deformed limb, and fiery red hair, to 
 the tall, handsome Hans, whose every movement 
 was personified grace, whose joyous dark face and 
 enchanting smile haunted her wherever she went, 
 almost made her heart stand still. A feeling of 
 repulsion of loathing suddenly came over her. 
 She saw the gleam of his dark, gold-ringed eyes 
 fixed upon her, a look with which no one had 
 ever gazed at her before. She stood still and 
 helpless, while he took her hand and bowed over 
 it, uttering the smoothest, most chivalrous phrases 
 in his easy, man-of-the-world fashion. He thought 
 her more shy than when first he met her, but, 
 oh, so enchantingly, so divinely fair, so just what 
 he most wished for and desired in a wife, that 
 he almost died of chagrin and disappointment to 
 think she should be withheld from him yet. Cof- 
 fee was brought in, and the guest urged to stay 
 to supper, to which he only too gladly acceded. 
 What mattered to him the surroundings, he 
 had eyes only for her. And she an undefinable 
 horror, a dread, took possession of her. Why 
 was she placed next to him at table? Why did 
 he look at her with glances of fire? Why were 
 the Herr Pastor and the Frau Pastorin so com- 
 plaisant to him? Thou dear Heaven ! Why was 
 he there at all? The coffee scalded her throat, 
 the morsel almost choked her. She was not al- 
 lowed to carry out the dishes, as she usually did, 
 but Babbett was called in, and for a wonder she 
 did it right willingly, smirking and throwing 
 looks of the strangest significance at the girl. 
 
182 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 What did it all mean ? She went to the window, 
 from where she could see the sky all purple and 
 yellow, a magnificent panorama of colors, for the 
 sun was going down. In a moment Herr Gold- 
 man was beside her. 
 
 "'Tis so different from our narrow streets," he 
 said, smiling; "one has no chance to see the sun 
 set across one's neighbor's tall housetops. I am 
 afraid you will miss it when you come to us, 
 Fraulein." 
 
 Her lips moved in astonishment, but she uttered 
 no sound. 
 
 "Has not the Frau Pastorin told you?" he 
 asked genially; "'tis settled you are to pay us 
 a long visit next Carnival. 'T is great fun, I as- 
 sure you. Do you not think you will enjoy it? " 
 
 "I have heard a great deal of the pleasures of 
 that time," she said timidly. " Am I really to go ? " 
 
 "You are to come to us," he said, with em- 
 phasis. He came a little nearer. She shuddered 
 when she felt this. 
 
 "You are glad, are you not?" he asked caress- 
 ingly. She murmured some indistinct reply. "My 
 mother will be so pleased to have you with her," 
 he went on. "You like my mother, do you not? " 
 
 "Yes," she said faintly. 
 
 "You will try to like me a little also, will you 
 not?" he said still more caressingly. "I will do 
 anything in the world to make you happy. I will 
 be so good to you, no one in the world could be 
 better." 
 
 Oh, what did he mean? If only he would not 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 183 
 
 come so near. And the Herr Pastor and the Frau 
 Pastor in, did they know he was talking to her 
 in such intimate fashion? But when she looked 
 around, the Frau Pastorin nodded to her quite 
 gayly, and stepped from the open window to the 
 path beneath, and the Herr Pastor followed her, 
 with watering-pot and a large pair of shears. 
 She was dumfounded. It was, then, with their 
 sanction he spoke to her thus, she felt hot and 
 cold by turns. She liked Herr Goldman well 
 enough at a distance, especially if he gave her 
 bonbons and delicious ices. She had gloated over 
 her Schiller and her Heine all the more raptur- 
 ously, because she had done so by stealth. The 
 sad fate of the lovers in "Kabal und Liebe" had 
 racked her very soul, and she clenched her fists 
 in furious hatred of the detestable Wurm who 
 encompassed their ruin. Now, when the banker's 
 head edged near her own, it flashed across her 
 that his appearance coincided exactly with that 
 of the hated secretary. The red hair, the promi- 
 nent eyes, the powerful, undersized figure, she 
 drew back with a feeling of horror and aversion. 
 Then that unfortunate club foot, to her dis- 
 torted fancy it seemed like the veritable hoof of 
 Satan. The poor banker ! Most unfortunate was 
 it for him that this foolish, inexperienced little 
 heart, fed by a romantic fancy, bore at that mo- 
 ment the warm impress of her favorite hero. Oh, 
 it would be some one like that who would one day 
 come to woo her, not this horrid, deformed man, 
 who, with his world-worn, blase physique, appeared 
 
184 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 quite old and detestable to her. He was rich 
 and powerful, she was poor she knew that very 
 well. But what does an inexperienced girl of 
 sixteen care for that? At that time the whole 
 world seems at her feet. 
 
 "Fraulein Jettchen," said the banker, "for I 
 may call you so, eh? " 
 
 "Yes, yes," she said hurriedly, "I much prefer 
 it. I I it seems so odd to be called by my 
 surname. No one has ever done so." 
 
 "No, of course not," he said indulgently; "you 
 have hardly been out of your immediate family 
 circle. How you will enjoy getting a glimpse of 
 the outside world! You like to go out among 
 people, and amuse yourself, do you not?" 
 
 "Yes, if they are nice to me," she said, think- 
 ing of the unfortunate picnic. 
 
 "Of course every one will be nice to you. 
 How could they help it? When you come to us, 
 you will be more than loved. My mother loves 
 you I love you " 
 
 "Oh," she said. She wanted to run away from 
 this awful man, whose red hair was singeing her 
 soul. Her hand hung limp and powerless at her 
 side. It happened to be the right one. She was 
 so much taller than he that he easily observed it. 
 
 "What a beautiful hand," he said. Only a 
 short time ago some one else had told her the 
 same thing. Then, for the first time in her life, 
 she had heard it. Some one yes. She thrilled 
 and blushed when she remembered. Had he not 
 said he would return? 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 185 
 
 "A beautiful hand," resumed Herr Goldman, 
 "and quite without adornment. In that it is most 
 noticeable for its perfection. If it have any 
 adornment at all, it should at least be something 
 worthy of it." 
 
 He put his hand into his pocket, and drew out 
 a small morocco case. The Herr Pastor and the 
 Frau Pastorin, who, for all their being outside, 
 had kept a wary eye on the pair, now stepped 
 back into the room. 
 
 Herr Goldman snapped back the lid. A cry 
 of delight came from Jette, who, with heaving 
 breast and eyes that matched the sparkle of the 
 gem resting on its white satin bed, gazed, and 
 gazed her heart out. 
 
 "Oh, everlastingly feminine!" murmured the 
 pastor. 
 
 "'Tis a pretty bauble, eh?" said the banker 
 carelessly. But his face shone. "Not this hand, 
 Fraulein, the other one the left one the one 
 nearest your heart." 
 
 " Not not for me ? " she gasped. 
 
 "For whom, then? Have I not said I love 
 you? Do not the Herr Pastor and the Frau 
 Pastorin favor my suit ? Some day not so very 
 long when you are quite grown up I am to 
 come and marry you. And you will try and love 
 me a little in return, will you not?" 
 
 She shivered, and could not say a word. Her 
 eyes were fixed upon the stone, glittering like the 
 eye of a basilisk. Not now did she desire it; 
 not for worlds would she be fettered with that 
 
186 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 serpent-like thing. Her left hand clenched itself 
 in the folds of her dress. But he, all unwitting 
 of her thoughts, gently raised it, and held it in 
 his own. Then the dull black circlet met his 
 "view. 
 
 "Why," he stammered, "the Fraulein already 
 wears a ring." 
 
 "What nonsense," said the Frau Pastorin, very 
 much offended; "that funny little black thing! 
 Doubtless thou boughtest it at the Kirmess, eh, 
 Henriette?" 
 
 She looked at the girl, who turned scarlet. She 
 put her hand over the little circlet, as if it were 
 something sacred and she wanted to shield it from 
 profane looks. 
 
 "One does not buy antiques at a Kirmess," 
 said the banker harshly; "that ring has another 
 history to tell." 
 
 The Herr Pastor looked at Jette. She under- 
 stood it very well. "Herr von Czechy gave it to 
 me," she said, looking back at him with her clear 
 eyes. "One day out in the garden he gave it to 
 me as a keepsake, and told me it had been in his 
 family a long time. I have worn it ever since." 
 
 "So," said Herr Goldman, with jealous fury; 
 "I wonder what his countess, whom he has gone 
 home to marry, would say to this. Perhaps she, 
 too, distributed rings as keepsakes during the 
 time he was away and engaged to her." 
 
 If he had only known ! From that moment the 
 passive aversion in her breast flared up into most 
 active loathing. How she abhorred him! His 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 187 
 
 club foot, his flaming red hair, those prominent 
 gold-ringed eyes, it was a tout ensemble which 
 typified everything that was most repulsive to 
 her. The room swam around her. This was her 
 first knowledge of man's perfidy. Her heart was 
 not touched; but her faith was gone. "Be true 
 to me," he had said; "I will return." And all 
 this time he was engaged to another. Of course 
 she knew he never could be anything else but a 
 dear friend, a sweet, sacred memory. But he had 
 lied to her, the idol was broken. And with 
 what brutality the truth had come home to her ! 
 Could she ever like the man who with his coarse 
 fist had destroyed one of her most cherished ideals ? 
 Never would she allow him to replace the plain 
 little band with his gaudy sparkling gem; what 
 mattered? she loved it still for the dear, beauti- 
 ful past. She put her hand behind her, child 
 fashion, and burst into tears. 
 
 "Make him go away," she said. "I I will 
 not wear his ring. At least not yet. Please, 
 please give me time to get used to it." She ran 
 out of the room, and they could hear her sob all 
 the way up the stairs. And thus ended Herr 
 Goldman's first attempt at wooing. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 WHEN Carnival came, Jette, as was agreed 
 upon, went to Cologne to pay her promised visit 
 to Madame Goldman. She was seventeen now, 
 
188 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 and getting accustomed to the idea that in the 
 time to come she was to wed the banker. The 
 Frau Pastorin preached it to her, the Herr Pastor 
 seemed to regard it as settled, and Babbett con- 
 stantly sang paeans in his praise. That a great, 
 rich man should be so foolishly in love with a 
 mere chit like Jette, 't was inconceivable. Why, 
 she had hardly commenced to wear long frocks, 
 she had no family, no dowry, the very chemise 
 to her back he would have to give her. To be 
 sure, she had grown up into a right trim maid; 
 but thou dear Heaven ! that was no reason why a 
 man with more riches than he could count in a 
 lifetime should make a complete fool of himself 
 over her. 'Twas enough to make one feel like 
 shaking him, only to see him look at her. And 
 she, the foolish little chit, she had no more 
 appreciation of the wonderful unheard-of good 
 luck that had befallen her than if she were the 
 veriest idiot that ever was born. Why did not 
 some one speak the plain, unvarnished truth to 
 her, and pound the sense into her she so sadly 
 needed! There was the Herr Pastor and the 
 Frau Pastorin dear Heaven! they took every- 
 thing as a matter of course as if the girl were 
 a princess, and entitled to all the splendor and 
 magnificence awaiting her, instead of a beggar 
 maid picked up from the highway. 
 
 "See here, thou she-donkey," said the irate 
 Babbett ; " hast no sense at all, then ? Dost think 
 rich bankers grow on trees like cherries, to be 
 shaken down and assorted at will? Nix, da! 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 189 
 
 With thy ten fingers and thy ten toes to boot, 
 shouldst thou snatch at such a chance. 'T is 
 seemly and maidenly in thee to pretend a little 
 diffidence. No one would find fault with thee for 
 that. 'T is a clever stimulant to a lover's eager- 
 ness, and enhances thy own value besides. But 
 thou carriest the thing too far. The most patient 
 man Lord save the mark the most persistent, 
 I mean will not stand it. See thou to it thou 
 dost not weary him out. Dost think such afiother 
 chance will ever offer itself again to thee?" 
 
 Jette listened in silence, with wide-open, wor- 
 ried eyes. Her whole world was changed since 
 this hateful man had dropped into it. She did 
 not like him ; the more she saw of him, the deeper 
 her aversion to him grew. When he looked at 
 her, she felt herself sicken all over, it was as if 
 some one had deadly insulted her. The clasp of 
 his hand felt cold and clammy to her shrinking 
 touch. She had to clench her teeth not to shriek 
 out with horror whenever he came close to her. 
 The Frau Pastorin scolded her, and called it 
 childish absurdity. "Thou 'It grow out of it," she 
 said cheerfully ; "the years bring wisdom." But 
 in her inmost heart Jette felt she never would. 
 Between the intervals of the flying visits the banker 
 paid during the winter, she had tried to school 
 herself into the possibility of some regard for him. 
 Surely, if ever lover merited it, he did. So deli- 
 cate as he was in his generous munificence, the 
 parsonage could hardly contain all his presents. 
 Not the most fastidious could have found fault 
 
190 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 with him, and the Frau Pastorin was very fas- 
 tidious indeed ; of the old-fashioned, severe kind, 
 who would have thought it a disgrace and humilia- 
 tion for a girl not formally engaged to accept any 
 but the most perishable gifts. He came loaded 
 each time, but it was always something the whole 
 family could enjoy. Flowers in the depth of win- 
 ter, which fairly made one's heart expand with 
 rapture ; roses, as if picked fresh out of the gar- 
 den; camellias, with their cold, waxen bloom; vio- 
 lets, which could make a sick person well only 
 to look at; mignonette, the darlings of the Frau 
 Pastorin's heart. The house looked like a con- 
 servatory; never since the Herr Pastor's vener- 
 able grandfather built it had it contained luxuries 
 such as these. And the beautiful satin-lined 
 boxes of bonbons he brought, veritable coffers they 
 'were for size, nay, was it not a shame to spend 
 such an amount of money in such perishable trifles ? 
 The bottom shelf in the linen -press had to be 
 emptied of its contents to make way for the huge 
 bottles of Maria Farina; there was so much one 
 could have bathed in it and never missed any, had 
 one chosen. But Jette never chose to. Had the 
 flowers and the distilled waters come from any one 
 else, she would have been beside herself with 
 rapture. The beautiful, innocent things came in 
 for the same aversion she felt for their donor. 
 
 "I don't like him," she would repeat, always 
 with the same terrified persistence. It was all 
 she had to say now to Babbett's remonstrances. 
 
 "Nobody expects thee to fall down and worship 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 191 
 
 him," said the old peasant woman angrily; 
 "'twould not at all be seemly in a well-brought-up 
 maid. Though how thou canst refrain from put- 
 ting thy arms around his neck and thanking him 
 for such lovely gifts is more than I can under- 
 stand. May the gnats sting me if I can make 
 thee out. One would think thou 'd dance and 
 leap and sing for very joy." 
 
 "I wish he had never set eyes on me," said the 
 girl, with tears in her eyes. 
 
 "Have a care," said Babbett solemnly, "lest 
 the Lord punish thee for thy wicked ingratitude. 
 I suppose thou never once considerest how won- 
 derfully He has done by thee. Thou mayst read 
 of such things in thy romances, but let me assure 
 thee that not once in a million years do they occur 
 in real life. Suppose anything were to happen 
 to the Herr Pastor or the Frau Pastor in, where 
 couldst thou go? What would become of thee? 
 Thou couldst do nothing but go to service, and 
 that, thou knowest very well, thou 'rt not fit for. 
 Perhaps, as thou growest older, young men may 
 come and admire thee. They may even go to the 
 length of loving thee, for thou art likely to be 
 a right trim maid; so much I '11 not deny thee. 
 But I, who know something of their wiles, know 
 exactly what they '11 do. They '11 go as they have 
 come, wiping their mouths with the good cheer 
 they have consumed, jest and laugh, nay, most 
 likely put all sorts of foolish ideas into thy silly 
 head. But they '11 not marry thee. For thou 
 hast no dowry, therefore what avails thee all the 
 
192 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 rest ! Years of heart-breaking suspense thou wilt 
 pass, till thy little bit of good looks will be faded 
 and worn, and everybody will laugh in scorn at the 
 old maid. Then thou 'It be fine and sorry, eh? " 
 
 She looked at Babbett in helpless consternation. 
 What wisdom there seemed in her words ! Was 
 it really true ? Was marriage the only haven in 
 which she could find a refuge from the dreary 
 future otherwise awaiting her ? The helpless ori- 
 entalism in her nature made her shrink with terror 
 from the picture. 
 
 "If only he were not so repulsive," she mur- 
 mured. 
 
 "Thou wantest too much for thy money," said 
 the old woman scathingly. "If there were not 
 an ' if ' and a ' but ' in the case, thou art scarcely 
 the one to have such a piece of good luck flung 
 at thee. The Herr is in love with thy foolish 
 face. There 's no accounting for taste, surely. 
 'T is as likely to fall on a dunghill as on a rose- 
 bed. What he lacks in good looks himself, he 
 seeks to atone for in a wife. Wouldst rather 
 have a man grin and smirk at his own donkey 
 face in the glass than have eyes to spare for thee ? 
 For all thou floutest him, there are plenty as 
 comely as thyself, with bags of money to boot, 
 who would stretch their ten fingers to get him. 
 If thou art wise, thou 'It hook him fast, when thou 
 goest up to see his mother. Life's May comes 
 but once. That little bit of a face of thine is all 
 thou hast got. Make the most of it while thou 
 canst." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 193 
 
 "'Tis all he cares for in me," she said resent- 
 fully: 
 
 The old woman stemmed her hands on her hips. 
 "Now let anybody hear that!" she said explo- 
 sively; "with what folly art thou stuffed full now? 
 What else dost thou expect him to care for, then ? 
 Thou art spoiled, puffed up with thoughts which 
 ought never to have found an abiding-place in 
 thy brain. That comes of thy godless reading, I 
 trow. I told the Herr Doctor once, and I was 
 sure he would tell the Frau Pastorin, but nothing 
 ever came of it." 
 
 "Ay, well I remember it," said the girl vin- 
 dictively. "Thou gavest him the book thou 
 found' st under my pillow. But he did not tell 
 his mother, as thou wert sure he would do. 
 There is more good in him than I suspected." 
 
 "In my native town," said Babbett, "I knew 
 of a case just like thine. The girl flouted her 
 lover, and kept him in torment for years. Then 
 she sickened of the smallpox. When she arose, 
 she was a sight to look at. Glad enough she 
 would have been then to have married him. But 
 he would have none of her. He went and married 
 a girl with a fair, fresh face, and left the other 
 one to everlasting sorrow." 
 
 "Yes," said Jette meditatively, "that is the 
 way Herr Goldman cares for me." 
 
 "She only got what she deserved," said Bab- 
 bett; "'twould serve thee right the same way. 
 What! hast thou no pride, no ambition? Think 
 how everybody in the village would burst with 
 
194 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 envy. Already they are saying, 'Nay, the luck 
 of that Jette ! Was ever the like heard of ! Comes 
 a rich, fine, powerful gentleman from Cologne, a 
 Herr who can ride extra post every day of his 
 life if he wants to, and asks to marry that snip 
 of a girl.' If only thou hadst seen Gret the 
 other day. Last time the Herr Banquier was 
 here, she came to the kitchen door. She had 
 Lieschen in her arms, and the brat was howling 
 as usual. She asked for thee, but I told her thou 
 wert making thyself agreeable in the best room, 
 as thou hadst every right to do. Such a face as 
 she made. Thou wouldst have sworn she was 
 twin sister to Black Peter, her ugly cat, whom 
 everlasting perdition seize, the same wicked, 
 green squint eyes, the same devilish grin, showing 
 the protruding teeth between. Nay, I fancied I 
 saw her mop of tow bristle on her head with en- 
 vious spite. A nice trollop, truly, she is to come 
 spying around here. I warrant thee I sent her 
 back with her mouth full." 
 
 Jette 's eyes glistened. A great satisfaction filled 
 her heart. Really, it would be a fine triumph 
 over Gret and her ilk if she were to drive away in 
 a luxurious traveling carriage, with outriders in 
 livery, and come back a great lady to visit her 
 former home as often as she pleased. 
 
 "The Herr Pastor would not consent yet," she 
 murmured. 
 
 "What," said Babbett, eagerly catching at her 
 meaning, "the marriage, thou meanest? Surely 
 he will, and only too gladly. If only thou wilt, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 195 
 
 he will quickly enough. Go to Cologne and show 
 thyself sensible. Take from thy finger that silly 
 black thing the Herr Baron gave thee. To be 
 sure he gave me a handsome Trinkgeld, like the 
 nobleman he is, every inch of him. A golden 
 louis d'or it was. But then, the Herr Banquier 
 gives me the same each time he comes. I war- 
 rant thee I have eight at least to keep the first 
 one company. Beauties they are, I tell thee, and 
 right merrily they chink in my stocking. But I 
 have thy interest at heart. I know thou 'It not 
 forget me when thou art the banker's wife. And 
 only think how thou couldst repay the Herr Pastor 
 and the Frau Pastor in for all they have done for 
 thee." 
 
 "That is true," said Jette, whose eyes sparkled. 
 
 "Thou couldst buy them each a chair of solid 
 gold," said Babbett; "kings and queens can't 
 have better than that. 'T would be showing thy 
 gratitude in a proper manner, eh? and cushions 
 embroidered in gold and silver thou couldst have 
 made for the seat and back. Some kind of up- 
 holstery I suppose they will need, otherwise they 
 might be uncomfortable to sit on. And hark 
 thee ! Every night while thou art away, I '11 look 
 in the cards to make sure thou hast taken to heart 
 that which I have taken so much pains to admon- 
 ish thee with." 
 
196 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE Frau Pastorin was not much behind Bab- 
 bett in her counsel, when Jette was ready to start 
 on her journey. To be sure, she was not so dif- 
 fuse, neither did she go into as many details. 
 But what she said in her plain, practical man- 
 ner was quite to the point. She did not think 
 Herr Goldman an Adonis, or quite the person for 
 a young, romantic girl to fall in love with. But 
 he had what worldly-wise people value far more 
 highly, the wherewithal to insure his wife a 
 future free from all care. A life of luxury, of 
 honor and ease, awaited the one who should be 
 sensible enough to take advantage of the lucky 
 chance. The poor would rise up and call her 
 blessed. As Jette had the Jewish compassionate 
 heart, and knew what poverty was from her early 
 recollections, this reasoning did not fail to make 
 its due impression on her. The Herr Pastor said 
 nothing. With his forefinger and thumb he raised 
 her pretty chin, gave one of his beaming, heartfelt 
 looks into her eyes, and told her to enjoy herself. 
 One could see how very fond and very proud he 
 was of her. 
 
 So when Jette arrived at Cologne, at the close 
 of a crisp, cold February day, she was quite dis- 
 posed to be as gracious as possible to Herr Gold- 
 man, bearing in mind all the good advice she had 
 received. He met her at the coach office, and 
 Hanne was with him. A glow of happiness spread 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 197 
 
 over his face when he caught sight of the tall, slim 
 beauty, as the old post-chaise rumbled into the 
 yard ! Of course, he had been cooling his heels 
 and warming his expectations for hours before the 
 stage was due. He almost fell over himself as he 
 rushed forward to assist her to alight, jealously 
 pushing away the gallant guard, who, having un- 
 ceremoniously bundled out a pudgy widow, smil- 
 ingly extended his hand to the merry-eyed, happy 
 girl. She sprang to the ground, light as a fawn, 
 saying between little gasps of cold, " Oh, I am so 
 glad, I could kiss everybody." Then she blushed, 
 caught hold of Hanne's arm, and ran with her to 
 the warm, luxurious carriage standing outside. 
 Herr Goldman smiled as if he saw heaven open, 
 thrust his hand into his pocket, and flung a Trink- 
 geld to the guard which made that worthy's eyes 
 start from his head. "Now, but that one must be 
 quite fearfully in love," he soliloquized, looking 
 alternately at the gold piece in his hand and the 
 flying form of the banker, as he hastened to fol- 
 low the housekeeper and her young charge into the 
 carriage. So solicitous he was about her comfort ! 
 Did she have her feet well ensconced in the fur 
 bag? Hanne, stoop down and see, and make 
 quite, quite sure the dear, sweet Fraulein has 
 drawn it properly around her. Surely, her lovely, 
 tiny feetlets must be perished with the long, cold 
 journey. Allow him, he really must draw the 
 rich sable he had brought for her comfort a little 
 more snugly around her shoulders. And the fur 
 rug over her knees was it sufficient now, 
 
198 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 really? Young ladies were so careless, they pre- 
 sumed so much upon their hearty youth and vigor 
 suppose she caught cold heavens ! he did not 
 dare think of such a misfortune. Had she been 
 well looked after on her journey ? and so on, until 
 Hanne felt as if she must box his ears, and Jette 
 exhausted herself with reassuring him. He was 
 so happy, surely the gathering twilight caught an 
 afterglow from the reflection of his radiant face. 
 That happy, ecstatic drive, should he ever for- 
 get it, with that fair, heavenly face opposite to 
 him ! As for Jette, she felt that it was very good 
 to have all this warmth and luxury instead of 
 the cold, cheerless post-chaise; the exhortations 
 she had received at home still abode with her ; she 
 strove very hard not to let the repulsion born of 
 his presence dominate her this time. And when 
 she found herself in the arms of Madame Gold- 
 man, the warmth of whose genial motherly em- 
 brace opened the depths of her heart, her eyes 
 moistened, and the happiness of being so wel- 
 comed was without alloy. As she stood under the 
 brilliantly lit chandelier in the magnificent draw- 
 ing-room, Madame Goldman looked at her with 
 beaming admiration. 
 
 "She grows more beautiful all the time," she 
 thought ; " what a heavenly creature ! So divinely 
 made, with such gracious understanding! One 
 can forgive Julius's foolish raptures when one 
 sees her. Nay, I am quite in love with her my- 
 self." 
 
 "Draw off thy gloves, Liebchen," she said, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 199 
 
 "and let me chafe thy hands. Are they not 
 cold?" 
 
 "Not one bit," said Jette gayly; "Herr Gold- 
 man made me tuck them under the big fur skin. 
 He was quite tyrannical, I assure you. I was too 
 much afraid to disobey him." 
 
 The banker, who was stumping to and fro with 
 his hands in his pockets, devouring her with big, 
 greedy looks, beamed all over. 
 
 " 'T was for your own good, though, you obeyed 
 me, was it not?" he said as caressingly as if he 
 wished his tones were honey. 
 
 She pouted so enchantingly that then and there 
 he would have bartered his fortune only to kiss 
 her. 
 
 "I had to, whether I wanted to or not," she 
 said. Then, feeling her ingratitude, she said with 
 infinite sweetness, "Of course you knew best." 
 
 "Ah," he exclaimed in rapture, "if only you 
 would always think so ! If only you would come 
 to see how all my striving is solely for your com- 
 fort and to please you. I do not ask anything 
 but a kind word, a loving look in return. Try 
 while you are here to think of me as a little nearer 
 to you. You shall step on roses all the days of 
 your life. I will pierce my flesh to pull out the 
 thorns so they shall not touch you." 
 
 Now, she discovered with dismay that, in spite 
 of her schooling, the old horror clutched her 
 whenever he became impassioned, or came near 
 her. It was stronger than all her endeavors ; it 
 engulfed her like an avalanche under which she 
 
200 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 knew she must perish. The rosy bloom withered 
 in her young cheek to ghastly pallor; she clenched 
 her teeth to restrain their frozen chatter. One 
 hand she put to her eyes, to shield them from the 
 telltale light. 
 
 "It blinds me," she said. 
 
 The banker furiously rung the bell, and com- 
 manded the agitated footman, who hurriedly an- 
 swered, to lower the lights. 
 
 "You have only to breathe a wish," he said, 
 "and it shall be obeyed." 
 
 "If thou wouldst only restrain thyself," said 
 his mother, when Jette had gone to her room to 
 make herself presentable for dinner; "there is too 
 much passion in thy wooing; thou continually 
 forgettest her youth and innocence. Instead of 
 pleasing, thou frightenest her. Thou hast only 
 had dealings with wily, experienced women of 
 the world. In this wise thou 'It never gain her 
 regard." 
 
 Herr Goldman kicked a costly embroidered 
 hassock out of his way, and angrily rumpled his 
 hair. 
 
 "Thou, too," he said, "turnest against me. 
 Dost think I do not know the difference between 
 her fresh innocence and a strumpet of a coquette? 
 'Tis that which beguiles, befools me. There is 
 a majesty about her which abases me to the dust. 
 There is something in her air, her manner, the 
 way she looks at one, which stirs feeling to its pro- 
 foundest depths. I tell thee, when a man of my 
 age thinks so, 'tis serious. 'Tis then his life's 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 201 
 
 happiness or misery hangs in the balance. Oh, 
 I tell thee, if she does not relent, she will make 
 a madman of me." 
 
 " Scorn her," said his mother ; "flout her. 
 Show her thou art a man, and hast to be won 
 from thy superior height. Wrap thyself in thy 
 power; coquet with others; let her come to the 
 knowledge that they appreciate and value thee. 
 Treat her with condescension; be supercilious; 
 ignore her. So shalt thou win her, not by bend- 
 ing thy neck to the yoke." 
 
 "I know all that and more," groaned the 
 banker; "I am an ass, a fool, an idiot, where 
 she is concerned. I have no more control over 
 my feelings than the callowest hobbledehoy when 
 near her. There all worldly wisdom fails. I 
 would be willing she should give me blows with 
 one hand, providing she caressed me with the 
 other." 
 
 "So speaks a slave," said his mother, with 
 scorn, "not a man with an appreciation of the 
 manhood within him. Thou gettest this disposi- 
 tion from thy father, who, being a man in all 
 other affairs of life, is slavish in his affections. 
 Would to Heaven I could dispossess thee of thy 
 spirit, and lend thee mine awhile. We have only 
 to will to gain that which we strive for the most." 
 
 Just then Jette came in, her blue cashmere 
 dress clothing her like the purple of majesty, a 
 cluster of pink roses stuck in her bosom. As she 
 had developed in grace and beauty, the air of 
 pride and nobility which had distinguished her 
 
202 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 already as a child had developed also. She 
 looked like a young queen at whose gracious smile 
 warriors were ready to bend the knee. Madame 
 Goldman and the infatuated banker could not 
 take their eyes off her. 
 
 "Look," she said, strutting up and down under 
 the chandelier : "this is my first long dress, my first 
 really long dress. Do you see? It has a train. 
 A train ! just think. I hardly know how to walk 
 in it. All the same, it looks pretty. When I 
 tried it on, I could not contain myself for pride 
 and joy. I ran all the way home to let them see 
 it. The dressmaker was furious. She said I 
 came near spoiling it. Do you think I manage 
 the train properly? Those dear, beautiful look- 
 ing-glasses! One can see one's whole length in 
 them. Oh, I think it is lovely." 
 
 Mother and son laughed at her innocent child- 
 ish vanity. It was so delightfully novel. Ma- 
 dame Goldman had never indulged in the frip- 
 peries of young girlhood. Amid all the splendors 
 of her surroundings, her youth had passed un- 
 heeded and alone. Sadly she thought of the early 
 doll-playing time, when she had shut herself up in 
 the attic, terrified because of the duties and re- 
 sponsibilities thrust upon her. Alone in her mag- 
 nificent mansion, she had never known the sweet 
 communion of young companionship; for as a 
 married woman she belonged to the matrons, who 
 would have none of her, and the young of her 
 own age were busy with their schoolbooks. In 
 solitude she had developed a strong individuality 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 203 
 
 of character, which, without personal beauty, 
 made her a most fascinating and much-sought- 
 after woman, the idol alike of both husband and 
 son, the shining light of the society she adorned, 
 the judicious benefactor of the poor, and the 
 providence of the needy too proud to beg. But 
 youth with its fripperies and foibles, its vanities 
 and its failings, its careless gayety and pulsing 
 joy of life, she had never known. It made her 
 sad when she saw this young girl in her innocent 
 conceit pucker her smooth brow over the serious 
 question whether her first train sat well on her 
 or not. 
 
 "Thou peacock," she said, "hast thou admired 
 thyself enough? Never, I vow, have these mir- 
 rors seen such a piece of vanity." 
 
 "Do you think I am vain?" said Jette anx- 
 iously. She blushed, and turned away from the 
 reflection of herself. "Nay, I would not have 
 that said of me for the world. 'T is such a plea- 
 sure to see one's whole length in the glass. I had 
 no idea my dress looked so nice." She patted it 
 complacently, and cast glances at herself from the 
 tail of her eye. " 'T is only since I have gone to 
 the dressmaker I have dared to see how I look. 
 She insisted I should judge for myself how my 
 things fitted me. Before then I did not dare do 
 so. Of all heinous sins, the Frau Pastor in con- 
 siders vanity the worst. Babbett used to tell me 
 that if ever I was caught looking in the glass 
 while the clock struck the hour, I should be turned 
 into stone. Of course I haven't believed that for 
 
204 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 a long time. All the same, it used to make me 
 afraid." 
 
 "Then thou hast never admired thyself before, 
 eh?" said Madame Goldman. The banker sat 
 in a fauteuil, with his hands in his pockets. Her 
 chatter was sweeter to him than the most divine 
 music. 
 
 She opened her eyes very wide. "Admire my- 
 self, why should I do that? 'T would be very 
 foolish, I should think. One likes to see if one's 
 hair is smooth or one's dress sits properly. If I 
 am especially anxious to know, I run down to the 
 brook in our orchard. There I can see myself 
 full length. My glass is so small, about so 
 big." She held up the length of her finger. 
 
 "And didst thou look in the brook long?" 
 asked Madame Goldman. 
 
 "Of course," she said complacently, "I looked 
 as long as I pleased, for there was no one to chide 
 me. Sometimes, if I thought I looked more than 
 usually nice, I would take out my knitting so as 
 not to appear lazy, and look in the brook all the 
 time." 
 
 She was somewhat confused at the hearty fit of 
 laughter in which both mother and son joined. 
 
 "Where didst thou get thy pretty roses? " 
 asked Madame Goldman. 
 
 "From the bouquet on my dressing-table. 
 Herr Goldman, I want so much to thank you. 
 Of course it was you who put it there." 
 
 "How do you know? " he said, all in a tremor 
 of delight. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 205 
 
 "Because," she said positively, "no one but 
 you would have thought of it." 
 
 "Don't you think," said his mother, "so much 
 forethought ought to be rewarded?" 
 
 "Yes," she said somewhat uneasily, "I will give 
 him a pretty rosebud." 
 
 "Thou canst give him something far more pre- 
 cious," said Madame Goldman, "without depriv- 
 ing thyself of thy bud." 
 
 "I will take the rosebud gladly," said the 
 banker eagerly, seeing her turn pale again; "only 
 you must finish your gracious deed, and fasten it 
 in the buttonhole of my coat." 
 
 He stumped towards her as she pretended to 
 select a flower with great care. She was by a 
 head and shoulders taller than he, so she had to 
 look down upon him as she tried to fasten the 
 flower. They were just opposite one of the great 
 mirrors. As they stood side by side, he looked 
 at their reflection just as she happened to raise 
 her eyes. The flower dropped from her hand and 
 fell at his feet leaf by leaf. The footman flung 
 aside the heavy draperies and announced that 
 dinner was served. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 IN the dining-room Jette made her curtsy to 
 Goldman senior and Uncle Emanuel. She felt 
 instinctively that both disliked her. The elder 
 banker did not at all look with favor upon his 
 
206 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 son's suit. He believed in the good old-fashioned 
 Oriental custom, where parents selected suitable 
 husbands or wives for their children, without any 
 reference to individual tastes. He ridiculed the 
 idea of personal sentiment, taking it for granted 
 that each adjusted himself to the other after mar- 
 riage. It had been so with him and with every- 
 body else he knew. But his son had disappointed 
 him in more ways than one. He had led a fast, 
 dissipated life ever since he was barely grown up. 
 With this the old gentleman would not have found 
 so much fault. Early partner in the bank, with 
 unlimited means at his command, it was but natural 
 that many temptations should be placed in his way. 
 Though for the matter of that, the old gentleman 
 argued that he had been young once himself, but 
 had never indulged in such spendthrift proclivities. 
 Temperate and frugal by nature, he was the soul 
 of simplicity. While his son drove thoroughbred 
 horses a king might have envied, the old gentleman 
 walked to and fro from the bank in his thin, low- 
 cut buckled shoes. His wife had her brougham, 
 her landau, and her pair of smart ponies, but let 
 the weather be never so bad, not once did he avail 
 himself of either unless she insisted upon it. 
 When compelled to go away on business, he in- 
 variably traveled third class, and wrangled over 
 the fare of a droschke until he tired out the 
 driver. His son spent more on choice cigars and 
 flowers in one day than the father's entire hotel 
 bill amounted to. But the presents he would 
 bring home to his wife were costly enough to 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 207 
 
 make a queen envious. He wanted nothing for 
 himself, all his hopes were centred in his son. 
 And here he was, close upon thirty, and not 
 married yet. Every suitable opportunity he had 
 flouted, and now he was running after a pauper 
 of a girl whom they would be ashamed to intro- 
 duce into the family. The old gentleman dis- 
 trusted Jette; he distrusted her loyalty to the 
 faith of her fathers ; he distrusted the manner in 
 which she had been brought up. She showed it 
 plainly enough. She was so different from the 
 girls brought up and surrounded by the influences 
 of their faith. What attracted his son was a 
 grave source of apprehension to him. Julius had 
 gone over heart and soul to the radicals ; he was 
 an ardent adherent of the famous Dr. Geiger, 
 who, as the pioneer and champion of the reform 
 movement, ran the gauntlet of the most bitter 
 enmity of the old orthodox set to which the old 
 gentleman belonged. He saw the thin edge of 
 the wedge which was destined, as he imagined, 
 to make apostates in heart, if not in deed, of the 
 glorious old religion. He did not see the dawn 
 of a new and more tolerant era, he only saw the 
 dismemberment of the faith. The infusion of 
 new blood, lest it should starve of its own anae- 
 mic condition, he regarded as a blasphemy. The 
 exigencies of the times were naught to him. He 
 wanted the old faith to remain intact ; innovations 
 or modifications had no concern with religion, but 
 stank of the devil. He considered himself privi- 
 leged that he was born a Jew. He would not 
 
208 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 slink through the slime of obsequiousness as if 
 apologizing for what he was. He knew himself 
 to be a power among his own people, and like 
 a sovereign he stood his ground against the mighty 
 onsweeping tide which he foresaw neither he nor 
 those after him would be strong enough to stem. 
 He was proud of the old faith, proud of its an- 
 cient traditions, proud of its dead and past glories, 
 proud of its preeminence when all others were in 
 their swaddling-clothes, proud of the parent stem 
 from which the world's history had sprung, proud 
 of its sufferings, its humiliations, and its shame. 
 Not one iota of concession would he make, fling- 
 ing away the solid kernel to retain the frail husk. 
 He was glad he would not be among the living 
 should this ever come to pass. At dawn when he 
 arose, he flung his thalis around his shoulders, 
 strapped the sacred scroll upon his wrists and 
 brow, and lifted his eyes and his voice in heartfelt 
 worship to the Lord God of Israel, who had so 
 miraculously delivered his own from the bondage 
 of Egypt. The same bondage existed still, though 
 it was in another form. No truckling and bowing 
 to those who had scourged them with the whip of 
 oppression and opprobrium for ages; 'twas for 
 them to hold out the hand of fellowship and 
 amity, if at last a new era should dawn and make 
 the world what it was intended to be, a gift from 
 the Almighty Creator, His garden, in which all 
 should dwell alike in peace and harmony, until it 
 pleased Him in his own good time to call the 
 wanderer home. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 209 
 
 "Hear, O Israel; the Lord thy God is One 
 Eternal, Everlasting Being," he prayed aloud, his 
 lean frame quivering with impassioned fervor, 
 exalted reverence in his bowed attitude and voice. 
 His piety was heartfelt and sincere. He was 
 not ungrateful to the Creator of all things, this 
 shabby, snuffy old financier. He had no ideals, 
 no superstitions. His religion was a living fact 
 to him, its forms and ceremonies a necessary ex- 
 pression. It was the giant rock against which, let 
 contention dash itself never so wildly, he rested 
 in perfect security. "Hear, O Israel; the Lord 
 thy God is One Eternal, Everlasting Being." It 
 was a grand, inspiring rhythm, which would make 
 music in his heart when that Lord God summoned 
 him to eternal sleep, and would be the trumpet 
 refrain which, with its stirring notes, would rouse 
 him. He devoutly believed in the restoration of 
 the glories of Jerusalem, not as mortals interpret 
 it, but as the Almighty in his own divine power 
 will bring it about, and that, when all other 
 dynasties shall have had their day and lie crum- 
 bling in the dust, Judah, of all other nations, will 
 rear its head, and, like another phoenix, arise 
 from its ashes with more than olden-time splen- 
 dor, to reign preeminently and alone. "For the 
 heart of the Jew never dies," he said. He stood 
 in the synagogue on fast days, clad in his shroud, 
 his feet never stirring from the spot, his voice 
 never ceasing to uplift itself in lamentation and 
 prayer from sunrise to sundown. His beseechings 
 were not alone for himself or his; they took in 
 
210 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 every one of his people. Close to stinginess in 
 his own personal expenses, he was lavishly gener- 
 ous to his family, and munificent in his charities 
 to the poor. Of him it might truly be said that 
 his right hand knew not what his left hand did. 
 Unswervingly just, upright, and scrupulously hon- 
 est, his word was his bond with all creeds and 
 nations. 
 
 Goldman fils regarded his father's religious 
 aspirations with tolerant contempt. He looked 
 upon them as relics of the past and calculated to 
 foster prejudice. He went even further than the 
 most progressive of the progressive party. Creed 
 and religion were synonymous terms with him. 
 It was entirely a matter of circumstance over 
 which no one had any control. The faith which 
 consoles, the spirituality which ennobles and re- 
 fines, makes one suffer and endure, had no place 
 in his calculations. The forms and ceremonies 
 which were the darlings of his father's heart he 
 regarded as remnants of old-time superstitions. 
 No doubt they were right and proper when first 
 practiced. In those obsolete times it was neces- 
 sary to have a visible religion in order to be duly 
 impressed. It was necessary to see as well as to 
 feel. The traditions which his father venerated 
 were no more to him than the ancient traditions 
 of Greece and Rome. Both had had their day. 
 Both had fallen to make way for others, which 
 in their turn would fall. It was an inevitable 
 law of nature, and would be so to the end of 
 time. He had ideals, but no spirituality. He 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 211 
 
 was generous, but ostentatious. Whenever he 
 gave, he liked it to be well known. In his busi- 
 ness transactions he was daring to the verge of 
 imprudence, but he took good care never to over- 
 step it. The name and fame of Goldman were 
 very dear to him. Proud, vain, and passionate, 
 scheming and insatiably ambitious, his aspirations 
 soared far higher than his father dreamed of. 
 He aimed at the distinction of being somebody in 
 the great world ; to break down the barriers which 
 all his wealth could not storm. To this end he 
 had steadily refused to consider the most advan- 
 tageous matches submitted to his consideration. 
 He did not want a wife whose Oriental appearance 
 would give offense to the society he sought, and 
 would debar him from crossing its threshold. 
 But with Jette he knew he could storm the citadel 
 and conquer it in triumph. Who knows? He 
 might be received at court he would be created 
 a baron Baron and Baroness von Goldman 
 delightful sound ! He rolled the names over his 
 tongue with epicurean enjoyment. He saw even 
 further than this. Once let him have a sure foot- 
 ing, and then the world should talk of him. 
 Backed by such wealth as he possessed, his prestige 
 in the financial world, his shrewd wit to seize hold 
 of the right opportunity and make the most of it, 
 he might climb to any height he chose. "The 
 great and powerful Goldman," that is what people 
 should call him. Not once did it occur to him 
 to utilize his opportunities to benefit those of his 
 own race. He wanted to soar alone, and from 
 
212 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 his lofty eminence look down with contempt upon 
 less fortunate ones. 
 
 As is common with such natures, he had in- 
 dulged his passions, but his heart had never been 
 touched. To his credit let it be said that he 
 really and truly loved the beautiful girl he was 
 eager to make his wife. That she would help 
 him to accomplish his social ambitions greatly 
 enhanced her value in his mind. As she devel- 
 oped in grace and beauty, and he caught occa- 
 sional glimpses of her well-trained intellect, there 
 entered into his feeling for her what he had never 
 felt for any woman save his mother before re- 
 spect. He had the real Oriental contempt for 
 women, whom he looked upon as an inevitably 
 necessary part of creation in order to minister to 
 man's comfort alone. Secure in the feeling of 
 his own worth, he never dreamed that her avoid- 
 ance of him arose from personal dislike. Like 
 the rest, he attributed it to girlish diffidence. If 
 the Pastor had not been such a country bumpkin 
 in his obstinately starched views, he argued, and 
 had disposed of the girl as was customary among 
 the people he knew, she would have been his wife 
 long ago. What did a young girl know of what 
 was best for her? What business had she with 
 views of her own? A husband was selected for 
 her by her guardians, a short courtship followed, 
 and they were married. The rest adjusted itself 
 as naturally and as nicely as any one could wish. 
 
 Therefore, sore as he felt about it, he tried to 
 gird his soul with patience. Secretly, both he 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 213 
 
 and his mother agreed that they would make the 
 most of the present opportunity to gain Jette's 
 consent. Then the Pastor would have to give his 
 also, and this wearisome probation would end. 
 So Jette, all unsuspicious, went about and enjoyed 
 herself. She wrote home twice a week, as she had 
 been told to do. Rapturous accounts they were 
 of festivities she attended. She had been to her 
 first ball, a real ball, where there were crowds of 
 beautifully dressed people, and the flash of jewels 
 had blinded one's eyesight like the lightning, a 
 floor, slippery enough to trip one up had one not 
 been guided by a strong arm, but, oh, so perfectly 
 delightful to glide over to the strains of Strauss 's 
 ravishing music. And it was played by a band 
 of skilled musicians; it was even better than the 
 one which played on the promenade every after- 
 noon. And she had looked nice, at least every- 
 body told her so. Her white muslin had been the 
 simplest dress in the room, but Madame Goldman 
 quite approved of it, saying it was the most ap- 
 propriate thing for a young girl to wear. But 
 the maid had looped it here and there with such 
 beautiful pink ribbons, and her flowers had been 
 the handsomest in the room ; really, she was satis- 
 fied she looked as well as anybody. And she had 
 danced, her card was full before she had fairly 
 entered the room. She had danced a big hole in 
 her white satin slipper, right clear through the 
 stocking. It had taken her a whole morning to 
 darn it neatly. 
 
 Madame Goldman was as much sought after 
 
214 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 as the most spoilt beauty. At forty -five she was 
 younger than she had been at twenty. Her card 
 filled up rapidly from the moment she entered a 
 ball-room. She was as light of foot as a ballet 
 dancer, spite of her short stout, figure. While 
 her snuffy old husband slept at home, there was 
 hardly a ball of any importance she did not attend 
 with Julius. Only since he was grown up had 
 she commenced to live ; and at middle age she en- 
 joyed what in her youth she had missed. 
 
 "Liebchen," she said to Jette, who had danced 
 opposite to her in the quadrille, " 't is time we 
 went home. See, there is Julius beckoning. 
 Hast thou enjoyed thy first ball? Hardly have 
 I caught a glimpse of thee all night. Thou 
 oughtest to have heard all the pretty things that 
 were said to me about thee. Nay, thou need'st not 
 blush. We all know what such sayings amount 
 to. Nevertheless, 't is nice to hear them, eh ? 
 Now thou must not pout. By the time we are 
 home, dawn will be streaking the sky. Console 
 thyself. Plenty more dances will follow. But 
 thou must learn to take them temperately. I 
 cannot afford to have thee return home pale and 
 wan. It would be a poor inducement for thy 
 next visit." 
 
 After all, it was quite well on in the gray of 
 the morning before they were allowed to depart. 
 Jette accompanied Madame Goldman to her bou- 
 doir, where the fire burned merrily in the hand- 
 some porcelain stove, and the maid stood ready 
 with freshly brewed coffee. She flung off her 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 215 
 
 wrap with a sigh of appreciation at the luxury of 
 such a home-coming. After all, it was a very 
 desirable thing to be rich. Seated opposite her 
 hostess, in a deep fauteuil, she rattled on over 
 the night's events. She was too excited to think 
 of sleep. Madame Goldman was waiting for her 
 son to come in and kiss her. He never retired 
 to rest, no matter how late, without doing so. 
 She sent the maid to bed, and took off her jewels. 
 As she put them into the satin -lined trays in the 
 large casket, Jette leaned over and touched them 
 with delight. 
 
 "You don't mind," she said timidly; "nay, I 
 want to touch them just to see if their fire does 
 not burn one. How magnificent you looked in 
 them to-night! No queen could look finer." 
 
 "Marry Julius," said his mother; "he will 
 give thee even finer than these." 
 
 She gave a little gasp. "I would marry him 
 to-morrow," she said, "if only he were you." 
 
 "Thou silly one," said Madame Goldman, "he 
 is far better as he is. Me thou wouldst not find 
 so easy to deal with. Thou canst wind him 
 around thy finger with one kind word or look." 
 
 Madame Goldman set the casket on a hassock, 
 and standing in front of the girl, clasped a neck- 
 lace around her throat. She took out Jette 's mod- 
 est earrings, and hung drops like liquid fire in 
 their stead. She clasped the jewels around the 
 girls' arms, drew them on her fingers, and fastened 
 them in her hair. Tray after tray Madame Gold- 
 man emptied of their dazzling contents. A girdle 
 
216 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 was suspended around Jette's waist, the withered 
 flowers were taken from her bosom and jewels 
 placed in their stead. With a dexterous move- 
 ment Madame Goldman turned the girl around so 
 that she faced the great cheval glass. 
 
 "Look at thyself," Madame Goldman said. 
 
 At first Jette was almost too dazzled to see. 
 Then her breath almost forsook her. She gazed 
 and gazed, all articulation smothered in its birth. 
 Like one solid, immense blaze of light she ap- 
 peared, too dazzling almost for eyes to look upon. 
 Could one look like that? Was it really in one's 
 power to be so beautiful ? The gems flashed back 
 from every part of her body, there really were 
 women, then, fortunate enough to possess such 
 things! Her breast heaved, her eyes sparkled. 
 She was almost suffocated with delight. If the 
 people at home could see her thus, nay, did it 
 not surpass anything she had ever read in fairy 
 tales? 
 
 From the other end of the room Madame Gold- 
 man dragged another casket. It was much larger 
 than the first, and quite heavy, to judge with how 
 much difficulty she lifted it. She unlocked it, 
 and flung back the lid, drew forth its glittering 
 contents, and flung them in a heap on the rug. 
 Such treasures it surpassed one's wildest dreams. 
 In an ecstasy of delight the girl threw herself down 
 beside them, and let the glittering mass run from 
 one hand into the other, as children do with the 
 shells they pick up on the seashore. 
 
 "All these shall be thine," said Madame Gold- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 217 
 
 man, "if thou wilt but consent to marry Julius. 
 Nay, and as many more as will cover thee from 
 head to foot." 
 
 The girl laughed delightedly. She babbled as 
 if intoxicated. Herr Goldman entered the room. 
 He stopped short as one dumfounded. His mo- 
 ther beckoned to him, and took his hand. 
 
 "She consents," she said, in her rich, musical 
 voice. "Liebchen, let me bless thee." 
 
 Like one awakening from a nightmare, the girl 
 sprung to her feet. With hasty, feverish fingers 
 she unclasped the gems and laid them back in 
 the casket. "They are very precious," she stam- 
 mered, "but I I do not want them." 
 
 The banker savagely kicked over the casket, so 
 that its contents rolled over on the rug. Then 
 he angrily stumped from the room. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 JETTE enjoyed herself royally during the Car- 
 nival. For the time being, every one was satis- 
 fied to wear a cap and bells, and give himself up 
 to the hilarious pleasure of being a fool. In the 
 club to which Herr Goldman belonged, it was 
 decided that the public parade that year should 
 eclipse all previous ones in originality and splen- 
 dor. There were special sittings to which ladies 
 were admitted, at all of which Jette was the 
 happiest fool of all. Madame Goldman took her 
 everywhere. In the girl's superabundance of 
 
218 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 youthful spirits and happy gayety of heart she 
 herself became a girl again. They went to hear 
 the incomparable Lind, at that time in the zenith 
 of her fame. Jette's admiration and enthusiasm 
 were so great, she could hardly restrain herself 
 from jumping over the footlights, and falling in 
 mute adoration at the songstress' feet. They 
 went visiting, and received visits. With all her 
 equipoise of mind, she could not but feel flattered 
 at the distinction with which everybody treated 
 her. But that which made the most impression 
 on her was the widespread missions of charity on 
 which she accompanied Madame Goldman. To 
 have it in one's power to bring relief to the needy, 
 clothe the naked, cure the sick, and provide homes 
 for the helpless, surely, that was divine. Like 
 a harbinger of good tidings, Madame Goldman was 
 welcomed everywhere. With a benediction she 
 entered, and with a benediction she left. And it 
 was all done so unostentatiously, with so much 
 tact. Like one of themselves the banker's wife 
 listened to their complaints, their stories of ad- 
 versity. Nothing of the great lady there was to 
 chill their sympathies or check confidences. The 
 rich woman was just human, nothing more or less. 
 Her sound common sense was not obstructed by 
 sentiment. Did a case present itself where she 
 could not suggest a remedy, it was left to her 
 husband to dispose of satisfactorily. This dark, 
 short, pudgy woman, with her strong face and pol- 
 ished manner, was the tower of strength against 
 which numberless bruised reeds leaned and looked 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 219 
 
 up to with veneration and confidence. And all 
 this could be done with the power of money. Oh, 
 no, not always, either, unless one had the spirit 
 and determination to use it as a sacred trust, as 
 the Lord God had intended it. Money could just 
 as well be used for destructive purposes, one 
 had not to turn to books to know that. It was 
 the every-day history of the world. But money 
 used in the right way, as Madame Goldman used 
 it, what a power ! It was almost like being 
 divine one's self. And she herself was so poor, 
 she possessed nothing, never would she know 
 the bliss of relieving the wants of others, saying, 
 44 Here thou ! Thou hast a right to live as well 
 as I, and take thy rightful share of the earth's 
 inheritance, in which the Lord God willed all 
 should have their portion according to their 
 work." Never, unless She shook herself and 
 set her teeth together. Not yet could she accus- 
 tom herself to the idea of wedding the banker. 
 There was time yet two years. The Herr Pas- 
 tor had said she should not marry until she was 
 quite grown up. 
 
 And so she put off the inevitable day, and went 
 on taking the goods of life so lavishly provided 
 for her. Madame Goldman, watching her curi- 
 ously, knew very well what passed in her mind. 
 She lived this new life of ease and luxury as if 
 she had never known any other. Would she be 
 satisfied to return to her customary duties, the 
 stagnant monotony of a rural life? 
 
 "Passover comes late this year," said Madame 
 
220 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Goldman one evening, as they sat in her luxurious 
 boudoir. Jette's embroidery frame rested idly in 
 her lap. It was too dark to work and too early 
 for the lamps to be lit ; just the hour for tender 
 reverie or mutual confidences. The fire in the 
 porcelain stove glowed like the eye of a cyclops. 
 The paintings on the walls, the swelling uphol- 
 stery of richest satin, the numerous trifles of or- 
 nament and bricabrac, valuable additions to a 
 connoisseur's collection, looked doubly rich and 
 fanciful in the half light. The girl settled back 
 in the luxurious armchair, and clasped her hands 
 above her head. 
 
 "Yes," she said, "the blossoms will already 
 gather on the old cherry-tree at home, and the 
 lilacs commence to bud in my garden. They will 
 both have to be pruned this year." 
 
 " I wish thou couldst prolong thy visit and spend 
 the holidays in our midst," said the elder lady. 
 
 "Oh, no, I could not," said Jette, in genuine 
 trepidation. "Easter comes about the same time. 
 There is so much to do then at home. The whole 
 house is turned upside down, from attic to cellar. 
 Everything is made sweet and fresh for another 
 year. Babbett could never do it alone. Indeed, 
 I must be there to help her." 
 
 "How canst thou think of returning to such 
 drudgery after the life thou hast led here?" ex- 
 claimed Madame Goldman. 
 
 Jette opened her eyes very wide. "We all 
 have to work," she said. "The Herr Pastor says 
 work is the salt of life." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 221 
 
 "Occupation, yes," said Madame Goldman; 
 " but drudgery of the coarsest kind, such as the 
 poorest charwoman can do far more creditably 
 than thou for a few groschen a day, they surely 
 could hire some one in thy stead." 
 
 "'T is not to be thought of," said Jette quickly. 
 "I know how to arrange all the things, and to 
 put them back in their right place. No stranger 
 could do that. Besides, the Herr Doctor's educa- 
 tion cost a great deal. To be sure, it was paid 
 out of the interest which had accumulated from 
 the Frau Pastorin's dowry. But it is all gone 
 now, and the principal must not be touched. 
 Part of it will have to be used to start the Herr 
 Doctor in his practice when he returns. Though 
 at the rate he is making progress, I do not think 
 he will need it." 
 
 "What manner of a man is thy doctor?" asked 
 Madame Goldman. 
 
 "My doctor?" echoed Jette, with emphasis. 
 She pouted her lips scornfully. "He is no doctor 
 of mine. He is proud and bumptious, and thinks 
 a great deal of himself. All the same, he is very 
 clever." 
 
 "Is he most like his father, or mother?" asked 
 Madame Goldman. 
 
 "H'm! Very much like both, I should think. 
 I have seen so very little of him, I am hardly able 
 to judge. He is very tall and strong, and blonde 
 like his mother, but he has his father's dark eyes, 
 and the same way of making one obey. Only 
 he is a good deal more masterful than the Herr 
 
222 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Pastor. He is even more distant in his manner 
 than the Frau Pas tor in. Although I have seen 
 him quite cordial at times." 
 
 "I think I know thy doctor very well," said 
 Madame Goldman reflectively ; " tall, deep-chested, 
 blonde-haired, fair-skinned, dark-eyed, with a 
 proper pride in his manhood, and some profes- 
 sional hauteur. H'm! Quite the hero of ro- 
 mance for foolish girls to fall in love with." 
 
 "Fraulein von Hermersdorff is not foolish," 
 said Jette, "and she is in love with him. He 
 was always very gracious to her. They will marry 
 as soon as the doctor has established himself. 
 'T is all settled, I assure you. The Frau Pastorin 
 speaks of it constantly." 
 
 "They are betrothed, then?" asked Madame 
 Goldman. 
 
 "In the letter I had from home yesterday," 
 said Jette, "the Frau Pastorin mentions she 
 thinks they will be very soon. Fraulein von 
 Hermersdorff is now in Vienna with the Herr 
 Professor, her father. She, too, wrote to the 
 Frau Pastorin. They are all so proud of the 
 wonderful cures the Herr Doctor has performed. 
 He saved an Austrian archduchess from blindness 
 after she had been given up by the cleverest doc- 
 tors. That was truly great, was it not?" 
 
 "He must be making a great name for him- 
 self," said Madame Goldman. 
 
 "Apparently he is. I am so glad for the Herr 
 Pastor and the Frau Pastorin. They are so 
 happy, so proud. He will be a famous man yet. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 223 
 
 Truly, it is a great thing to have one's children 
 turn out well." 
 
 Madame Goldman laughed outright. . "What 
 dost thou know about it? " she said. 
 
 "Now," said Jette, with a blush, "I was only 
 quoting what the Frau Pastorin said in her letter." 
 
 The junior banker entered the room. Of late 
 he had been in a carping and morose humor, 
 which intensified, if possible, the aversion Jette 
 felt towards him. He spoilt her gayety of spirits, 
 and saddened and depressed her. He made her 
 feel vaguely as if she had done him some grievous 
 wrong, for which she could never sufficiently 
 atone. All that was worst in her nature he 
 seemed to have the capacity to draw forth. She 
 fairly bristled with antagonism and stubborn op- 
 position whenever he looked at her. He was the 
 blot on her fair horizon, the bitter pill among the 
 sweets of her existence. Herr Goldman had not 
 been very amiable of late. All his life he had got 
 what he asked for. Where there was resistance 
 he had known how to overcome it. Now for the 
 first time since he was born there was something 
 he could not get. Jette 's stubborn coyness made 
 him mad. The more she tried to avoid him, the 
 more ardently he pursued her. He could not 
 understand it at all. His mood became intoler- 
 able. He was jealous of the dog she caressed, 
 the canary she chirped t9, the tippet around her 
 throat, the glove on her hand. He would have 
 been satisfied with very little at first, but that 
 little she did not seem inclined to give. He was 
 
224 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 restless and irritable away from her, and yet most 
 miserable when near her. 
 
 This evening he appeared to be in a more cheer- 
 ful mood. "Sitting in the dark and romancing?" 
 he said gayly. 
 
 "Ring for lights," said his mother. 
 
 "Not for worlds, mamma. This suits me very 
 well. Did I interrupt any sweet confidences?" 
 He hoped, under cover of the darkness, to take 
 Jette's hand. Perhaps she would let him. Surely 
 the hour had softened her mood. 
 
 "We were talking," said Madame Goldman, 
 "of doctors. The romance belongs elsewhere, not 
 here." 
 
 "Phew," he said, "I smell the cadavers al- 
 ready." 
 
 "'Tis the noblest profession in the world," said 
 Jette. 
 
 "Supplemented by right noble bills," he said. 
 
 "Doctors can't live by pride of profession 
 alone," she said, "no more than can other people. 
 The art of healing seems to me divine. To re- 
 store the child to the stricken mother, to save 
 the breadwinner to his helpless family, to bring 
 relief to the pain-racked limbs, and hope to the 
 despairing heart, it is a noble mission which 
 makes a man seem twice so. It is just the life- 
 work I would havtf chosen, were it customary for 
 my sex to do so." 
 
 "Your lifeworkj" he said, "is to break hearts, 
 not to mend them." 
 
 "Let me assure you," she said, with assumed 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 225 
 
 seriousness, "that the art of mending is a very 
 laborious and intricate one. Unless one can 
 do it creditably, one had better let it alone. 
 One would not bungle even at mending." She 
 gravely surveyed her left forefinger, on whose 
 delicate tip the mark of the needle could plainly 
 be seen. 
 
 "Thou speakest," said Madame Goldman, "as 
 if thou hadst a good knowledge of thy sub- 
 ject." 
 
 "I have served my apprenticeship," said Jette 
 ruefully. 
 
 " How nice ! " said Madame Goldman mali- 
 ciously; "I will bring out all my fine mending 
 while thou art here." 
 
 "No, no," said Jette gayly; "I get all the 
 plain fare I want at home. When I go visiting, 
 I want a more delicate diet." 
 
 She had risen, for she had felt Herr Goldman 
 come dangerously near. In the darkness, with 
 the glowing firelight to enhance the deep shadows, 
 she looked very slim and tall against the pudgy 
 Madame Goldman standing beside her. 
 
 " So thou comest to me for thy sweetmeats ? " 
 said the elder woman softly. Gently, with a 
 mother's touch, she caressed the shapely hand 
 lying passively within her own. "Thou shalt 
 have them," she said, "enough to surfeit thee. 
 Only thou must show thyself somewhat sensible 
 and a little yielding. How can such a beautiful 
 creature as thou be so hard-hearted? " 
 
 "I I do not mean to be," stammered the girl. 
 
226 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "All the same, thou art," said Madame Gold- 
 man. "Look at Esther Baruch. She is as happy 
 as the day is long, and has seen her betrothed 
 only twice. It is the way with our maidens. 
 Their parents choose, and they are satisfied. In 
 that they show their wisdom, for they insure their 
 children's future as far as lies within their power. 
 Thou must not keep Julius dangling in uncer- 
 tainty any longer. It is neither fair to thee nor 
 to him. Before thou leavest here, thou must reach 
 some definite decision. Wilt thou promise to 
 do so?" 
 
 "Yes, yes," said the girl hurriedly. She closed 
 her eyes with a shudder, as she felt a pair of hot 
 lips press her hand. Then she escaped to her 
 room. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 "THE beautiful days of Aranjuez are at an 
 end," declaimed Jette wistfully, just as on a 
 former occasion Herr von Czechy had done. She 
 was standing at the window of the great drawing- 
 room, waiting for her hostess, with whom she was 
 to go shopping. A few days more, and this life 
 of luxury, of ease, and of splendor would come 
 to an end. There would be a busy time at the 
 parsonage on her return ; the annual invasion of 
 the broom and scrubbing-brush was at hand. 
 For two weeks chaos would reign. Everything 
 movable the house contained would be dragged, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 227 
 
 flung, or bundled out of doors. The most hidden 
 recess, nook, or cranny would be mercilessly ex- 
 posed to the light. Beginning in the attic and 
 ending in the cellar, the invading forces would 
 continue their victorious march, before which spi- 
 ders or anything of the like ilk would fly in dis- 
 may, or get ruthlesslv exterminated. During 
 this period of upheaval it would be hard to find 
 two more disconsolate creatures than the good 
 pastor and Minka. They faithfully kept each 
 other company, and shared their misery as they 
 did their scant rations. The pastor, with his 
 chess-table in one hand and his box of chess-men 
 in the other, would wander from one dismantled^ 
 room to another in search of some place of refuge, 
 followed by Minka, with depressed tail and droop- 
 ing whiskers. Each night the pastor lay down, 
 he thought joyfully, "Thank God there is one 
 more day off the calendar," until law and order 
 was restored again, and probably Minka did the 
 same. Certain it is, when all the uproar was 
 done, and the house looked like itself again, glis- 
 tening in its new dress of cleanliness and purity, 
 Minka stepped from room to room, her bushy 
 gray tail once more stiff and erect, her big yellow 
 eyes gleaming like topaz, rubbing herself against 
 every member of the household alternately, while 
 she purred with delight. "Dear Minka, she 
 knows everything that is going on," thought the 
 girl, and a little touch of homesickness crept into 
 her heart. She thought of her poultry yard, the 
 canaries in the Frau Pastorin's south window, 
 
228 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 who pecked their sweets from her lips, her pet 
 pigeons, her garden, where she must soon begin 
 to hoe and dig and sow. It was all very grand 
 and beautiful here, but the other was home. 
 
 Madame Goldman was heard coming down the 
 stairs in her rustling silks and rich sables. Jette 
 went into the wide vestibule to meet her. 
 
 "Thou lookest thoughtful, liebe Kleine," said 
 the elder woman, as they entered the carriage and 
 drove away. 
 
 "The beautiful days of Aranjuez are at an 
 end," repeated Jette, smiling. 
 
 "Surely, 't is thy own fault," said Madame 
 Goldman. "Why should they ever end at all? 
 'Tis only for thyself to decide." 
 
 "Yes," said the girl dreamily. She absently 
 played with the heavy silk tassels of Madame 
 Goldman's muff. "If only he were you and you 
 were he," she burst out vehemently. 
 
 "I am not so sure of that at all," said Madame 
 Goldman, who knew very well what she meant; 
 "thou mightst not find me near so well to get 
 on with. He is far too complaisant, with no 
 head at all on his shoulders, where thou art con- 
 cerned. That is what I always tell Julius. He 
 is over-indulgent ; he spoils thee utterly. Suppose 
 thou wearest out his patience, and he marries 
 some one else? " 
 
 "Would to heaven he would!" she aspirated 
 fervently. 
 ' " Heyday ! What is that? " 
 
 "Then you would not withdraw from me your 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 229 
 
 friendship. I love you; I love you," she said, in 
 tones of honeyed endearment, fondling and kissing 
 Madame Goldman's hand. 
 
 " Why cannot I be angry with thee, thou tyrant 
 and dove both?" said Madame Goldman, in trem- 
 bling accents. She flung back her sable cloak 
 and put her arm around the girl's neck. "Stay 
 with me," she urged; "be my daughter indeed, 
 as thou hast twined thyself around my heart. 
 Never queen was more adored than thou wilt be 
 in the midst of us. Make him make us all 
 happy." 
 
 In that moment Jette's fate hung trembling in 
 the balance. Against the pleadings of the man 
 she detested she could hold her own, but not 
 against those of the mother whom she sincerely 
 loved. Now her heart was touched. Deeply 
 moved, she was about to answer, when suddenly 
 the carriage came to an abrupt stop. Somebody 
 grasped the reins and forced the horses back, who 
 reared and plunged madly. Jette let down the 
 window nearest her to see what was going on. 
 
 They had come upon a band of penitents, who 
 were wending their way to the cathedral. Monks 
 barefooted, with shorn heads, were swinging cen- 
 sors, and holding the host aloft. It was near the 
 noon hour, in the busiest part of the town, but 
 everybody had stopped and doffed their caps to let 
 the pilgrims go by. There was plenty of time 
 for the carriage to pass down the side street as 
 Ephraim, the coachman, had intended, but the 
 crowd, ill-natured as they always were at that 
 
230 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 time of year towards the Jews, surlily refused to 
 make way for him. 
 
 "Back, thou accursed Jew," said a big, brawny, 
 hulking driver of a brewer's dray. It was he 
 who had caught hold of the horses' reins. The 
 spirited animals became almost maddened as the 
 hubbub of the priests' chant and the cloud of 
 incense from the swinging censers increased. 
 
 "Art of the breed, too?" he said, giving the 
 off horse a vicious kick. "Chokest at the blessed 
 fumes of the holy incense, eh? " 
 
 "Let me go," panted Ephraim; "otherwise 
 something terrible will happen." 
 
 "Ay, indeed. The currying of thy ill-smell- 
 ing Jewish hide and those that are with thee. 
 Accursed hound, thou ! Stay where thou art until 
 the holy procession has passed." 
 
 The coachman was from the borders of Poland, 
 where outrages and persecutions against those of 
 his faith were frequent pretenses for popular mal- 
 ice and greed of plunder. He was dark, almost 
 like an Ethiopian, but Jette saw him turn pale to 
 the lips. The populace were cursing and jeering 
 at the plunging horses, who were madly tugging 
 at the reins. 
 
 " Call upon thy God to check them, since thou 
 canst not do it, accursed son of Abraham, thou ! " 
 jeered a wrinkled old crone. 
 
 Jette looked at Madame Goldman. She was 
 very pale, and sat quite rigid. A shudder con- 
 vulsed her limbs when any of the vile epithets 
 struck her ear. The girl flung off her mantle, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 231 
 
 and opening the carriage door, sprung lightly 
 to the ground. So much of majesty and nobil- 
 ity there was in her youthful mien that no one 
 thought of uttering a protest when she walked 
 to the horses' heads. Her slim, white hands 
 touched the brawny fist of the drayman as with 
 the sweetest, most gracious "Allow me," she took 
 hold of the reins, causing him to drop his hand 
 and shamefacedly step aside. "Keep a firm hold," 
 he said to Ephraim. Her look, piercing and com- 
 manding, said, "Keep a cool head," and he under- 
 stood her. Patting the horses' sides, speaking 
 soothing words as she had heard Hans of the 
 Wildhof do, she made a way for the carriage to 
 proceed, walking on in front, with an uplifting 
 of her bonny blue eyes, a charming smile, and a 
 sweetly gracious, "Bitte, bitte; " and the populace 
 quickly parted either side, holding their breath 
 lest the restive horses' hoofs should strike her. 
 It was high time, for just as they reached the 
 opposite curb, the procession was upon them. 
 
 "Drive slowly at first," she uttered hurriedly 
 to Ephraim, "then make what speed you can to 
 the bank. I shall be there almost as soon as you 
 are." 
 
 With a heartfelt sigh of relief she saw the 
 carriage disappear in the distance. She stopped 
 when the host was carried by and the people 
 prostrated themselves. Then she walked slowly 
 on till she reached a side street. Once out of 
 sight, she quickened her steps, and soon reached 
 the bank, which fortunately was not far off. She 
 
232 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 almost danced into the office of the senior partner, 
 so glad was she to see the carriage standing at 
 the door. Ephraim took off his hat and bowed 
 most profoundly. All the radiance of Queen Es- 
 ther was nothing compared to that with which 
 she shone in his eyes. 
 
 "What a beautiful day," she said, as she en- 
 tered. "I have quite enjoyed my walk." 
 
 There had been some anxiety on her account. 
 Madame Goldman sat in the big office chair. 
 There were traces of tears on her cheeks. Her 
 husband and son were with her. Jette was greeted 
 with tender effusion. 
 
 "They did not attempt to do anything to thee? " 
 asked Madame Goldman anxiously. 
 
 "To me? Indeed, no. They stared and made 
 way, but uttered no word. I made all the haste 
 I could to get here. Have I been long? " 
 
 "Thou art a famous girl," said the elder Gold- 
 man. He kissed her heartily, and left a great 
 deal of snuff on her fichu. In his heart he vowed 
 to give a goodly sum in her name to the poor of 
 the synagogue next Sabbath's worship. Goldman 
 junior, his sound foot on the rung of a chair, 
 beamed all over with pride and joy. His looks 
 said as plain as anything, " What did I tell you ? 
 She is quite a heroine." 
 
 Madame Goldman pulled the girl down beside 
 her. 
 
 "Wert thou not a little afraid?" she asked. 
 
 "I had you to think of," said the girl naively; 
 "alone, I might have been." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 233 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 A FEW days after, Jette went home. There was 
 sorrow in the household of the Goldmans. Her 
 youthful, high spirits and simple graciousness had 
 endeared her to all. The lowest scullion in the 
 kitchen would miss her. She had often gone 
 down to watch the cook prepare some delicious 
 dainty which had appeared at table, and which 
 she thought they would like at home. "When I 
 see a thing done," she said, "I can easily do it. 
 It is of no use to tell me. I can never get it right 
 from that." Madame Goldman missed her terri- 
 bly. She would gladly have given a considerable 
 portion of her wealth sooner than part with her. 
 The house seemed dead after she was gone. The 
 good lady looked forward with impatience to the 
 time when this bright, lovely, joyous creature 
 should be her daughter indeed, as she already was 
 in her affections. Before she went, Herr Goldman 
 had extracted a promise from her to marry him at 
 the end of two years, when she would be nineteen. 
 She had been sorely beset, and felt that against 
 so many forces combined that were brought to 
 bear upon her she was not strong enough to hold 
 her own. She saw there was no escape from his 
 detested presence in any other way. Alone with 
 this persistent, ardent suitor in Madame Gold- 
 man's boudoir, trembling with fright and appre- 
 hension lest he should presume upon a caress, she 
 gave a desperate assent, subject, of course, to 
 
234 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 the Herr Pastor's approval. But she would not 
 allow him to put the betrothal ring upon her 
 finger. Spite of his importunities and entreaties, 
 she remained steadfast in that. Not until the 
 last inevitable moment would she allow a visible 
 sign of the fetters her cowardice was weaving 
 around her. During the two years which must 
 elapse before the formal betrothal, everything was 
 to remain as at present. Only, necessarily, she 
 would feel herself bound to him. Besides, there 
 was not much use in making promises. The Herr 
 Pastor had stipulated that her consent should not 
 be considered until she was of a fit age to marry. 
 This was her grand refuge. Behind this she 
 intrenched herself. It was a shallow subterfuge, 
 and she hated herself for using it. And the 
 banker, knowing perfectly well how useless it was 
 appealing against the Herr Pastor's decision, 
 ground his teeth in impotent fury. However, he 
 had to be satisfied. What could one do with a girl 
 upon whom all the practical advantages of luxury 
 and wealth made no impression, who could not 
 be won by the gewgaws which win the hearts of 
 most women; perfectly satisfied, nay, happy, to 
 return to a life of rustic, humdrum obscurity; to 
 trudge on foot when she could ride in a carriage ; 
 to perform menial household duties when footmen 
 might be at her command? But patience. It 
 was the unsophisticatedness of youth. Two years 
 would do much to mould her character and to 
 ripen her judgment. So, though what she granted 
 him was very little, with that little he had to be 
 content. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 235 
 
 If she had only had a mother, some one of her 
 own sex, having her interest at heart, wise and 
 experienced in the world's ways! If she only had 
 some one to confide in ! That was the burden and 
 cry of her heart. The Frau Pastor in, with all 
 her kindness, was not sympathetic. The proud, 
 wealthy, old Pomeranian peasant stock she came 
 of looked with disfavor upon any ebullition of 
 sentiment. What was right was right, what was 
 wrong was wrong. It was given to man's own 
 good judgment to choose which way to go. If he 
 went the wrong way, all the worse for him. One 
 was as easy as the other. With all the impulses 
 of her own heart Jette had been alone. Sympa- 
 thy she had never demanded, because there was 
 no one to give it to her. All her little joys and 
 all her little sorrows she had hugged to herself. 
 She was fond of the Frau Pastorin, but she was 
 afraid of her; the Herr Pastor she loved and 
 revered, but she stood in awe of him. There was 
 always that formal, distant little boundary line 
 she was too diffident to cross. Hans von Czechy 
 was the only one she had come into contact with 
 in whose presence she felt her heart expand. 
 Him she could have told everything. That was 
 the bond which drew her to him, which made his 
 memory sacred to her. True, there was Madame 
 Goldman. Gladly would she have gone to her 
 and poured out her whole heart. But could she 
 tell the mother of the loathing with which the son 
 inspired her, could she tell her that his person- 
 ality was hateful to the girl she hoped to see that 
 
236 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 son's wife? Could she wring the mother's heart 
 in its most susceptible spot, the love for the son 
 whom she adored? Sooner would she rend her 
 own heart and keep silence. 
 
 Who would understand her? No one. The 
 world envied and flattered her. The Herr Pastor 
 only waited till she was old enough to give his 
 consent. Since she had in a measure identified 
 herself with her suitor's family, her own was 
 tacitly looked upon. The Frau Pastor in regarded 
 everything as settled. Babbett called her a fool, 
 whom fate had to bang on the head in order to 
 make her realize her extraordinary good luck. 
 Besides, was it not her duty to marry? Already 
 she was a great expense to the family. It had 
 cost quite a little sum to fit her out suitably for 
 her visit. She was so tall, it took a good many 
 ells to make her a dress. Did not all girls marry ? 
 Was it not the whole aim of their existence? 
 What else could she do? Become an old maid? 
 Brrr! Horrible! to be laughed at, made a jest 
 of, to fill the stray nooks and empty niches of 
 creation, it was anything but an enviable pro- 
 spect. It was imperative upon her to marry. She 
 had to have a place in the world, things would 
 not go on like this forever. 
 
 So she took refuge in the grace yet allowed her. 
 Herr Goldman came as often as the Herr Pastor 
 thought permissible, each time more ardent and 
 hopeful than the last. And she The old horror 
 grew upon her. It was no use, she could not 
 shake it off. Keason, argument, judgment, all 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 237 
 
 were powerless against it. What would become 
 of all this? She shuddered, but dared not think. 
 So the time drew dangerously near. 
 
 It was towards the close of an oppressive day 
 in July. In the orchard the half -ripe fruit hung 
 parched and drooping on the boughs. The air 
 was ominously still with the portend of disaster. 
 Not a leaf stirred. The clouds hung heavy and 
 sullen, like molten lead. From the pastures came 
 the low bellowing of the kine. The hills, gray 
 and indistinguishable in the gathering vapor, 
 loomed weird and menacing in the distance. 
 There was that vague uneasiness in the air with 
 which all great forces of nature infect the spirit. 
 Jette took off her large straw hat, and scrutiniz- 
 ingly looked around. 
 
 "Thou and I must run, Minka," she said to 
 the big tabby. "The storm is gathering, and 
 presently will be upon us in unfettered fury." 
 
 She drew off the large, loose gloves she always 
 wore since Hans von Czechy had chided her for 
 not taking proper pride in her hands, took off 
 her apron, and turned homeward. Between inter- 
 vals of reading she had worked a little at the 
 vegetable beds. It was too hot to do anything 
 continuously. Minka had gone with her, as she 
 invariably did of late. Since Jette's return from 
 her visit to the Goldmans, two years ago, the cat 
 had attached herself almost solely to her young 
 mistress. She followed her about everywhere. 
 
 The Frau Pastorin was standing at the window 
 when Jette turned in at the parsonage gate. The 
 
238 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 color in her cheeks was heightened, her eyes looked 
 expectant and bright. 
 
 "I am glad thou hast come," she said to the 
 girl; "the storm may descend at any moment. 
 Dost thou not feel very warm? What fearful 
 heat! I feel as if my palate were withered." 
 
 "I will go and make you some lemonade," said 
 Jette. 
 
 "Wait till papa comes. I have been anxiously 
 looking for him. I have had a letter." 
 
 " So ? " said Jette, with interest. She knew there 
 was but one person in the world whose letter could 
 excite her so. "What does the Herr Doctor say? 
 He is well, I hope?" 
 
 "'Tis not right I should tell thee," said the 
 Frau Pastorin, "before papa hears it. I had 
 hoped thou wouldst meet him and bring him with 
 thee. Only think! Fritz is coming home." 
 
 Jette laughed. "Dear Frau Pastorin, what 
 good news! Will you not be glad to embrace 
 him again ? After three long years of absence 
 why, you will hardly know him." 
 
 The Frau Pastorin 's eyes glistened. "His 
 papa he will be delighted. I can hardly wait 
 till he comes in. He has missed him fully as 
 much as I have. To be sure, Fritz had to go. 
 He had to gain a name and experience. Now he 
 has both. Now he can establish himself." 
 
 "Was not the Herr Doctor to stay away an- 
 other year ? " 
 
 "So we thought. But that little trouble with 
 the government, when he joined the rebel stu- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 239 
 
 dents with the young Baron von Czechy, thou 
 knowest is settled long ago. Not once has he 
 granted himself a holiday since he went to Vienna. 
 He has studied and worked as young men seldom 
 do. To be sure, he had a most powerful incen- 
 tive." 
 
 She passed her plump hands over her shining 
 bands of hair. Here and there a gray thread had 
 crept in. Anxiety for her son had brought them, 
 not the smooth, eventless years. 
 
 "He has made a name for himself," she said, 
 " such as many an older head might be proud of. 
 He has both fame and substance now. They will 
 offer him a professorship at Bonn. He will marry 
 Thekla. Ah ! I shall see all my fondest dreams 
 realized." 
 
 " How I rejoice ! " said Jette. 
 
 "'Tis fortunate he comes now," said the Frau 
 Pastorin; "he can have a thorough rest before 
 all the bustle and preparation for thy wedding. 
 His eyes are inflamed, he writes, from overwork 
 and study. He must have complete quiet and 
 rest. Dear boy ! dearest child ! where else should 
 he go but to his mother to get completely nursed 
 back to health?" 
 
 "Certainly," said Jette. She spoke with an 
 effort. The allusion to the ultimate settling of 
 her fate made her flesh creep. "Here comes the 
 Herr Pastor," she said. The Frau Pastorin flew 
 to meet him. 
 
240 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 THAT night the storm fiend went abroad, and 
 right merrily did he ride his steed. It was so 
 suffocatingly hot no one could sleep. Trees were 
 uprooted, toppling over with a deafening crash. 
 The wrathful thunder shook the houses to their 
 very foundations. Great gusts of rain beat fiercely 
 against the casements. Jette sat at the window, 
 veiling her eyes from the blinding lightning. 
 She felt a fierce exultation in the storm. She 
 wanted to run out, to let herself be tossed in its 
 savage embrace. She wanted to mingle her 
 shrieks with the roars of the storm king. The 
 b^od raced madly in her veins. She thought of 
 the ride of the Valkyrie, and fancied she heard 
 the mad galloping of their steeds in the howling 
 of the wind. A storm of this kind always affected 
 her singularly. The fierce warring of the ele- 
 ments found an echo in her heart. Oh, to toss 
 off the load that oppressed her, to rive the chains 
 her passive cowardice had forged around her; to 
 be free once more, without the haunting dread 
 that all too quickly her fate was closing in around 
 her ! Towards morning the storm had spent itself. 
 Slowly, as if in growling protest, the reverberating 
 thunder withdrew among the distant hills. A 
 deliciously cool fragrance filled the air. She flung 
 up her window, eagerly welcoming the delightful 
 change. Then she fell asleep. 
 
 It was later than usual when she arose. It 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 241 
 
 was so with everybody. After the terrors of the 
 storm, it was well to sleep. Everybody went 
 abroad to view the havoc that had been wrought 
 over night. Ruin and desolation in plenty there 
 was. The Frau Pastorin's blooming garden lay 
 a dreary waste. Here and there a rosebush, soli- 
 tary and forlorn, reared its ragged branches, 
 mourning at the general destruction. Her pretty 
 bed of pansies, in which every variety from the 
 velvety purple black to which Hans von Czechy 
 had likened Jette's eyes to the softest, lightest 
 blue flourished, was entirely wiped out. Ruin 
 pointed its gaunt finger everywhere. 
 
 It was a memorable storm. Long years elapsed 
 before the villagers ceased to speak of it. The 
 superstitious said afterwards it had been a fore- 
 runner of what happened later. It was just as 
 well no one possessed the gift of prophecy. Be- 
 sides, the prophet is never heeded. 
 
 The air blew soft and invigorating from the 
 Rhine. The birds chirped merrily, busily en- 
 gaged in rebuilding their destroyed homes. One 
 could sniff the bracing atmosphere with distended 
 lungs and inflated nostrils. The sun smiled in 
 subdued radiance. Surely everything has its com- 
 pensation. Hope and activity resumed their sway 
 in the human breast. One could repair, rebuild, 
 restore. Things were not so bad, after all. In 
 fact, they might have been a great deal worse. 
 After each had summed up his own loss, he found 
 consolation in that his neighbor had suffered more 
 than himself. 
 
242 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 With some forebodings and a good deal of 
 trepidation, Jette went forth to reconnoitre. On 
 the shattered wall opposite the kitchen door hung 
 a meat safe, the sides and door of perforated wire. 
 It was stout and strong, and had steadily opposed 
 the wear and tear of time. " Shier dreissig Jahre 
 bist du alt, hast manchen Sturm erlebt," Jette 
 often laughingly said. Babbett was always care- 
 ful to lock it at night. She kept her larder well 
 replenished, and she prided herself upon having 
 never yet been taken unawares, no matter how un- 
 expected the guests, or how many they numbered. 
 Of late, especially, the safe was more than usually 
 well stocked. Substantial solids lined its stout 
 shelves. People might come, and people might 
 go: Babbett 's larder was prepared for all contin- 
 gencies. 
 
 A startled cry from Jette brought her to the 
 spot. She raised her hands in horror. The door 
 swung lamely on its broken hinges. The goodly 
 contents were partly gnawed, and all scattered 
 around in direst confusion. Some of them lay on 
 the ground, some dragged to a distance, and 
 broken dishes topping all. On the broad middle 
 shelf lay Minka. Her fur bristled like spikes, 
 her yellow eyes gleamed viciously. She looked 
 disreputable and wicked, as unkempt and neg- 
 lected as the most dissipated night prowler. 
 
 "Thou wretched beast!" shrieked Babbett; 
 " 't is thou who hast wrought all this. Woe, woe, 
 woe! My lovely tongue, my delicious shoulder, 
 stuffed just to suit, and fit for the palate of a 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 243 
 
 king! Would I had gorged myself like a porcu- 
 pine and died of repletion ! Thou conscienceless, 
 marauding thief, thou ! Mayest thou never have 
 anything more to feed on than the memory of thy 
 misbegotten deeds ! Oh, woe, woe, woe, woe ! " 
 
 Her loud lamentations brought out the rest of 
 the family. "What is the matter here?" asked 
 the Pastor. His rapid glance took in the situa- 
 tion. "The storm must have done this," he said. 
 
 "Does the storm gnaw and leave marks of its 
 teeth?" cried the incensed Babbett; "see here, 
 your reverence. 'T is all that is left of my beau- 
 tiful buttock, as juicy and tender a bit of beef as 
 ever made mouth water. Look at my tongue, 
 pink as a baby's cheek, cut but a short time from 
 the animal's jaws. 'Twas toothsome enough for 
 an epicure. Here is my ham, as fine a thing as 
 ever sow was made to yield; smoked to perfec- 
 tion, as indeed I have good reason to know. 
 There lies what is left of all. And there lies the 
 evil-doer." 
 
 " How, " said the Pastor ; " Minka thou ? " 
 
 "Who else?" said Babbett. "There she lies, 
 heavy with the weight of her ill-gotten spoils. 
 May she die of repletion, the wicked, yellow-eyed 
 monster." 
 
 "The door must have blown open," observed the 
 Frau Pastorin, " and Minka sought shelter within. 
 Being hungry, she could not withstand the temp- 
 tation." 
 
 "It merits punishment, nevertheless," answered 
 the Herr Pastor. "Come here, Minka," he said 
 sternly. 
 
244 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 She had lain very quiet, with lowered eyes and 
 head depressed, as if she knew very well the ex- 
 tent of her transgressions. Now when the Herr 
 Pastor called her, she still made no effort to 
 
 move. 
 
 M 
 
 Art obstinate as well as treacherous ? " inquired 
 the Herr Pastor. He lifted her off the shelf, and 
 gave her several smart slaps. "Have I fed thee " 
 (slap) "and cherished thee" (slap) "and boasted 
 of thy faith and loyalty " (slap) "and vaunted thee 
 over all thy kind" (slap), "only to discover the 
 nature of the beast in thee uppermost?" (slap.) 
 "There, go thy ways, and know thyself to be in 
 disgrace " (slap, slap). 
 
 But Minka did not run off. She looked pite- 
 ously from one to the other. She rubbed herself 
 against Jette and meowed. 
 
 "Minka is telling us something," urged Jette; 
 "and see! she is too weak to stand." 
 
 "Too gorged, thou meanest," screamed the en- 
 raged Babbett. She took hold of her, and sent 
 her sprawling away. Then they saw that where 
 Minka had stood, there was blood. 
 
 "What is this?" exclaimed the Herr Pastor. 
 
 Jette hastily put her head inside the safe. 
 "Look in there," she said. 
 
 Among the debris of broken food and crockery 
 the fur lay thick like sand, with here and there 
 a clot of blood. "And look here," cried Jette; 
 "the rain has washed away the traces of blood, 
 but in places it glistens on the pebbles. See here, 
 and there, and here Oh, what is this?" 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 245 
 
 A clump of fur literally torn off the body lay 
 at her feet. It was black as coal, with specks of 
 blood upon it. Minka came and stood over it, 
 snarling, her eyes flaming with venom. She 
 seemed unable to stand upright, but steadied 
 herself painfully against the wall. 
 
 Like lightning sped from the sky Jette flew 
 to the dovecote. The storm had wrenched off 
 the fastenings of the door, the pigeons sat with 
 depressed heads on the roof of the smokehouse. 
 Now they flew to meet her, pecking at her hair 
 and neck, all but one white dove. He sat with 
 lowered crest and glazed eyes. 
 
 "Where is thy mate?" wailed Jette. "Where 
 is my pretty Giselle ? " A cry from the Frau Pas- 
 torin made her turn swiftly. There was her pretty 
 Giselle, her white pet dove, stark and dead. And 
 there, a rod further, lay Black Peter mauled to 
 death, with Minka standing over him, her eyes 
 glittering in ferocious victory. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 "THAT must have been a great battle," said 
 the Herr Pastor. With his own hands he had 
 carried Minka home, cut away the fur from her 
 wounds, and washed and dressed them. His re- 
 morse was so great for having misjudged her that 
 he could hardly bear her out of his sight. He 
 praised her and petted her, and she blinked her 
 eyes and purred in delighted satisfaction. 
 
246 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "'Tis plain enough," he continued. "Black 
 Peter was prowling around as usual, and when the 
 storm blew the door of the safe open, he made a 
 raid on our larder. There our Minka found him, 
 see how she understands, that good, brave old 
 girl, and a fierce fight ensued. Thou madest 
 the thief beat a retreat, eh, my plucky old girl, 
 and lay thyself down to guard thy master's pro- 
 perty. Then thou heardest the fluttering among 
 the pigeons, and hied thee to the dovecote just in 
 time to avenge the death of Jettchen's pet dove. 
 Ay, but thou art a famous creature ! " 
 
 "If only her hurts won't prove fatal," said the 
 Frau Pastorin anxiously. 
 
 "Do not fret thee, Mammachen; 'twere too 
 great a pity for her to die. She will get over 
 them bravely." 
 
 "What is to be done with Black Peter?" asked 
 Babbett; "if Gret finds our Minka has killed 
 him, she will make no end of an outcry. Were 
 it not better to put him out of sight? She will 
 believe he perished in the storm." 
 
 "By no means," said the pastor; "our Minka 
 conquered him in fair fight, and that must content 
 her. I will have no deceit, tacit or otherwise." 
 
 "'Tis all very fine," said Babbett, when Jette 
 carried out the breakfast things; "his reverence 
 doesn't know Gret as we do. She will try and 
 poison our Minka, and she is wicked enough to 
 succeed. Just thou stay here, and keep thy eyes 
 and ears shut. What I am going to do now is 
 no concern of thine." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 247 
 
 She went to the tool-shed, from whence soon she 
 emerged with spade and shovel. Jette knew very 
 well she was going to dig a deep hole into which 
 presently Black Peter would be flung. It would 
 have been some satisfaction to her could she have 
 assisted. The cruel death of her pet dove rankled 
 sorely in her heart. 
 
 With that both she and Babbett thought the 
 matter ended. But not quite. A few days later, 
 when the balmiest sun shone on newly rejoicing 
 hearts, there was a terrible outcry. It came from 
 the neighboring pasture, into which only a little 
 while since Minka had strayed. She was getting 
 over her hurts bravely, and would not be kept 
 indoors. All day long she prowled around, seem- 
 ingly vexed and ill at ease. Now Gret came fly- 
 ing up the path, panting, and in a fine fume. 
 
 " Come out here ! " she shrieked. " Come out, all 
 of you ! I want to know who has done this shame- 
 ful thing." 
 
 Babbett, who sat on the shaded bench just out- 
 side the kitchen door, shelling peas, turned quite 
 pale. Jette was in the arbor not far off, finishing 
 some fine piece of embroidery for the Frau Pas- 
 torin. She came up with stern displeasure. 
 
 "Thou wilt rouse the Herr Pastor and the Frau 
 Pastorin from their afternoon nap," she said. 
 "Cease thy outcries, or go away at once." 
 
 But Gret was not to be silenced when her tem- 
 per was up. 
 
 "I don't care a kreutzer! " she cried furiously. 
 "What! are honest people to be cheated out of 
 
248 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 their own while thou puttest on airs and graces, 
 as if thou didst not know? Only wait! The 
 whole village shall hear of it." 
 
 "Thou grandmother of the devil," said Babbett, 
 "come out with what thou hast to say." 
 
 "Come over yonder, then," she said, "and I 
 will show ye." They went with her to the pas- 
 ture. It was there Black Peter was buried. But 
 how on earth had she found it out? 
 
 The reason was very plain. That terrible 
 Minka! So that had been the cause of her un- 
 easiness. She had prowled, and sought, and given 
 herself no peace until she had discovered where her 
 slain enemy lay. Her sharp claws had dug and 
 scratched until finally she had come upon him. 
 And there she stood, with bristling hide and ele- 
 vated tail, ferociously jubilant over her victory. 
 
 Lieschen was with her mother. She was droop- 
 ing and waxen, like a delicate azalea, but she 
 persisted in living, spite of all the headshakings 
 and predictions of the old crones. The little three- 
 year-old was afraid of the big cat, who, in truth, 
 looked quite formidable enough to inspire grown 
 people with terror. 
 
 "Come away, mammie," she lisped. 
 
 Gret angrily wrenched her slight little arm. 
 
 "Be quiet, thou brat," she said furiously, "else 
 I '11 throw thee into the hole, and the beast of a 
 cat shall devour thee." 
 
 Lieschen shrieked with horror and fright. Jette 
 raised her in her arm, sheltering the little golden 
 head in her breast. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 249 
 
 "Thou spawn of the evil one! " said the enraged 
 Babbett. She did not care now, and was deter- 
 mined to have it out. In fact, it was a relief 
 to the simple old soul to have all discovered. It 
 had lain heavy on her heart, and she felt quite 
 guilty at tunes. "How such an one as thou," 
 she said, " came to have a child like that poor little 
 innocent, 'tis the Lord's business to understand. 
 What wert thou prowling around here for, any- 
 how? The devil, thy master, must have sent 
 thee." 
 
 "Aha! " vaunted Gret, with malicious triumph, 
 "no web is spun so fine but the sun one day on 
 it will shine. So ye thought to conceal your 
 misdoings from me, did ye? Death-dealers ye 
 are, and ye know it. Ye have killed my cat, my 
 poor Peter, my faithful Peter, boo-hoo-hoo ! My 
 g-g-good Peter ! Must I see thee lie there stark 
 dead and cold?" 
 
 "Thou art foolish, Gret," said Jette; "the 
 night of the storm our Minka found him stealing 
 our meats and killing our pigeons. They fought, 
 and she killed him." 
 
 "A likely story," blustered Gret between her 
 sobs. 
 
 "Hush thy howling!" said Babbett fiercely; 
 "thou didst no more care for him than the veriest 
 stranger. 'T is only thy wanton love for mischief 
 that urges thee to this outcry. Thou used to kick 
 him out in all weathers, and ventedst thy ill humor 
 on him, just as thou dost on this poor child, 
 and refused him food and drink. A thief and 
 
250 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 marauder was he. That is what thou madest of 
 him." 
 
 "How," shrieked Gret, "ye call me thief and 
 marauder?" 
 
 "Nay, I said not that. All the same, I would 
 not give this," she snapped her fingers, "for the 
 difference between ye. He stole meats, thou 
 filchest people's characters. Wherever thy slan- 
 derous tongue finds a hearing, there is a putting 
 together of heads and hissings like unto the ser- 
 pent's. Thou fattenest on gossip like a capon, 
 and devourest thyself for curiosity about thy neigh- 
 bors' affairs. Go home, sweep thy neglected 
 house, braid thy unkempt hair, darn thy man's 
 torn hose, and put thy prying nose into the soup- 
 pot, instead of meddling with what does not con- 
 cern thee." 
 
 "Thou needest not think," jeered Gret, "be- 
 cause thou belongest to the pastor's family, thou 
 canst take his office upon thyself. What I know, 
 I know. I am not quite so simple that thou canst 
 make me believe that an X stands for a U. The 
 whole village shall know how Black Peter came 
 by his death, and how ye sought to hide it. And 
 as for that accursed witch in the guise of a cat, 
 I '11 treat her the same as my poor Peter was 
 treated." 
 
 She advanced threateningly towards Minka, 
 who, snarling like a catamount, with dangerously 
 gleaming eyes, crouched back, as if for a spring. 
 
 "Do not touch her," cried Jette, in terror; "she 
 will fasten upon thee, and tear thy eyes out." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 251 
 
 "Bah! I am not afraid of her," said Gret, but 
 she prudently drew back. " What a beast !" she 
 said; "sure she is the fiend incarnate himself. 
 She actually seems to grow double her size as one 
 looks at her." 
 
 "Thou thinkest so because thy eyes are set 
 crosswise in thy head," said Babbett maliciously; 
 " on thy life, do thou never meddle with her. The 
 creature does not like thee, and in that she shows 
 her wisdom." 
 
 Gret angrily snatched Lieschen from Jette's 
 arms. "I '11 be even with ye yet," she said. 
 
 "Leave Lieschen with me," pleaded Jette. 
 The poor little thing! She was so fond of her 
 beautiful young protectress. No wonder. What 
 had such a child in common with such a mother? 
 
 "That ye may kill her like ye did Black Peter? " 
 taunted Gret, with clenched teeth. She turned 
 and went. 
 
 "I wish," said Babbett, looking after her, 
 "that she was in the same hole with her cat. Of 
 the two, she surely is the most evil." 
 
 "One could almost pity her," said Jette, "for 
 being such an ignorant, maliciously conditioned 
 creature. All the same, 't was not nice of thee to 
 say what thou didst just now." 
 
 "I know her better, than thou," said Babbett, 
 as they walked back to the house; "all her life 
 she has been so. She is a firebrand from Sodom 
 and Gomorrah. She is in the cards all the Lime. 
 Again and again have I tossed them aside, vowing 
 never to look at them any more. Then, whenever 
 
252 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 the need to see what is going to happen overcomes 
 me, there she turns up with her squint eyes and 
 leering, wicked mouth." 
 
 " What a clever card to assume such a true like- 
 ness," smiled Jette. 
 
 "Ah, thou! jeer thou and laugh. Perhaps 
 't would be as well for thee if thou wouldst take 
 some little heed in time." 
 
 " Thou good Babbett ! I did not mean to offend 
 thee. 'T is a long time since thou hast laid the 
 cards for me. To-day is Friday, eh? 'Tis an 
 auspicious day to have one's fortune told." 
 
 "Nay," said Babbett, "I have done with them. 
 'T is too much aggravation of mind and spirit to 
 work out their meaning. One would rather see 
 what one wants to see. When everything works 
 contrary, 't is best not to know it. What is that 
 big thing in front of our house? Jesus Maria! 
 As I live,' t is the post-chaise. While we were 
 wrangling over yonder, the Herr Doctor has come." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 FROM the arbor at the other side of the house 
 came pleasantly excited voices. It was there the 
 family chiefly gathered during the hot summer 
 months. All the meals were served there. The 
 Herr Pastor's chess -table and easy leather chair 
 stoou Against the wall, as well as the Frau Pasto- 
 rin's sewing-table and large old-fashioned work- 
 basket. A spreading vine completely covered the 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 253 
 
 open trellis-work, through which here and there 
 gleamed bunches of purple grapes. Every autumn 
 there was a rich harvest from this vine, where the 
 luxurious, gleaming fruit clustered so thickly as 
 to form a perfect roof overhead. Tubs of oleander 
 stood at either side of the entrance, around which 
 the straggling tendrils were draped and festooned 
 quite artistically, so as to leave sufficient light 
 within. It looked cosy, home-like, and inviting, 
 with the low-cushioned ottoman in one corner, the 
 white-painted, rush-bottomed chairs and round 
 table in the centre, spread with a gay red cloth 
 that looked well against the background of dark 
 green leaves. One could see the green fields 
 spreading far down the undulating valley, with 
 the gently dipping hills beyond, on which the 
 sheep were browsing. Now and then a tiny silver 
 thread, winding in and out like a string of pearls 
 in the fair locks of beauty, flashed upon the vision. 
 It was the purling forest brook, which at that dis- 
 tance widened into a stream, where it hastened, 
 dreamily murmuring, to join the blue Rhine. One 
 could sit here and muse, and steep one's soul in 
 ineffable peace and serenity of mind, and rejoice 
 in the pure joy of living, with never a discord in 
 the harmonious hymn of nature. It was home, 
 such as God from the first intended all homes 
 should be. 
 
 No wonder, with this picture in his mind, the 
 doctor had come back to rest. During those three 
 years of absence he had worked harder than had 
 many before him. However, there was this gratify- 
 
254 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 ing thing to be said, he had achieved something. 
 Position and renown, such as no man of his age 
 in the profession had ever acquired in so short 
 a time, was cordially accorded him. Nature had 
 been his loyal helpmate. Without his stalwart, 
 splendid physique and robust health, which had 
 never been abused by excesses, he would have 
 dropped by the wayside as many a less fortunately 
 gifted one would have done. With a great task 
 set before him, he had steadily kept this in view, 
 ignoring temptation with an iron will, keeping 
 well in the race till the home stretch was reached. 
 His fame as oculist spread far and wide; the 
 most difficult and delicate operations were confided 
 to his skill. The most tempting inducements 
 were held out to keep him in Vienna. But over- 
 study and over-exertion had at last their usual 
 effect on even his Herculean frame. Kepeated 
 summons to stop came rudely knocking to warn 
 him, each one more importunate than the other. 
 One morning Vienna woke up to find its honored 
 and beloved Dr. Feldern, with his valise in one 
 hand, the other extended in farewell, ready to 
 depart. We beg pardon, Dr. von Feldern. In 
 grateful recognition for the successful operation 
 on the eyes of a near relative of the throne, 
 Dr. Feldern had been invested with a high order, 
 which raised him into the ranks of the nobility. 
 He was entitled now to prefix a "von" before 
 his name. Gay, coquettish Vienna pouted that 
 it could find no inducement sufficiently strong to 
 detain its popular guest. It shook him heartily 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 255 
 
 by the hand, and lisped a siren "Auf Wieder- 
 sehen." Then it dried its eyes, and after the 
 manner of coquettes, was on with the new love 
 before the old one was fairly off. 
 
 Gay, fascinating, alluring Vienna! "Auf Wie- 
 dersehen?" Well, hardly. Leaning back in the 
 post-chaise, "erster klasse," Herr Dr. Friedrich 
 von Feldern was perfectly clear on that point. 
 In his mind one fixed purpose was firmly rooted. 
 Years ago it had spread out its first timid feelers, 
 striking deeper and firmer as time went on. Like 
 a beacon light it had gleamed during the long, 
 dreary interval of absence and restless activity, 
 drawing him nearer, ever nearer. And now he 
 had come home. 
 
 Babbett hurried into her kitchen to prepare 
 such savory dishes as she knew from past expe- 
 rience the son of the house relished most. Sub- 
 lime in the confidence of her own skill, no thought 
 of a probably spoiled palate troubled her. Good 
 old Babbett ! She would have taken up the skim- 
 mer and ladle with a born Vatel, confident in the 
 victory of her own prowess. Jette went up to 
 her room to see if her white muslin dress retained 
 its spotless purity. She scrutinized herself in the 
 glass and smiled. She always smiled when she 
 looked at herself. It was in pure sympathy with 
 her own loveliness. The rippling masses of her 
 glossy black hair were in perfect order. Near the 
 centre of the immaculate white parting a fugitive 
 lock strayed caressingly. It looked so pretty she 
 decided not to coax it back. The two long curls 
 
266 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 behind either ear she twined afresh around her 
 forefinger, tightened the thick coil of hair above 
 the nape of her neck, and put on her lace-frilled 
 fichu. The doctor's arrival left her quite indiffer- 
 ent. But then, it was only natural one should want 
 to look one's best; one's own self-esteem as well as 
 the honor of the house demanded it. 
 
 "Thou," said Babbett, when she entered the 
 kitchen, "make what haste thou canst with the 
 coffee, and take it out to them. How lucky I 
 made a cake this morning. Surely the Herr 
 Doctor requires refreshment after his long, tedious 
 journey. Confidences there have been exchanged 
 enough for the present. Thou wilt take the best 
 silver coffee service, of course. Here is a dish of 
 raspberries the Herr Doctor dearly loves, and 
 there is the cream. Haste thee now, and be not 
 squeamish about interrupting." 
 
 Hurriedly Jette ran out, and cut the stems of a 
 handful of roses. There were not many left over 
 from the recent storm. These were buds which 
 had come out since, but very sweet and fragrant 
 they looked, with their half -open leaves unfolding 
 to the sun. She lined the pink china bowl with 
 fresh green leaves, and gently piled the berries on 
 top. When her tray, spread with a snowy cloth, 
 was ready, the slender-stemmed vase with the 
 flowers in the midst, the berries topped here and 
 there with a gleaming bluebell, the whole sur- 
 rounded with the fine old silver, Babbett surveyed 
 it with some pride. 
 
 "I must say," she uttered, "everything thou 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 257 
 
 dost seems to have a gift of its own. Anybody 
 might have arranged it exactly like that, still it 
 would not look the same. The Herr Doctor may 
 be spoilt with grandeur, but nowhere could he 
 have things sweeter or more appetizing. Here is 
 the cake. Now bestir thyself. They will be sniff- 
 ing the aroma of the coffee and wondering it does 
 not come. Is that tray not overheavy for thee? " 
 
 "Heavy?" Jette laughed, as she caught it up 
 in her hands ; " I could lift thee with it, and not 
 find it heavy." 
 
 As she came near the arbor, the happy, ani- 
 mated talk ceased. The Herr Pastor sat one side 
 of the round centre table, his long-stemmed pipe 
 unlit, his black skull-cap pushed back on his scant 
 gray hairs. His soft, faded cheek was flushed, his 
 beautiful soft brown eyes sparkled as they hung 
 on his son's face. The Frau Pastorin sat at the 
 other side of the table, her hand clasping that of 
 her son. The tears she had shed on his arrival 
 still lingered on her cheek; she looked quite ex- 
 hausted with the intensity of her emotions. For 
 the first time in her life and probably the last 
 Jette saw that her cap was askew. Her heart 
 must indeed have been stirred, if she could have 
 abandoned herself so entirely to her feelings. 
 
 The doctor sat at the head of the table between 
 father and mother. He wore a green shade over 
 his eyes, so that only the lower part of his face 
 was visible. His long, blonde mustache, the tips 
 of which he had always worn slightly curled up- 
 ward, had developed into profuse luxuriance. It 
 
258 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 was of a bright gold color, silky, and exceedingly 
 well kept. His mouth was completely hidden 
 by it, leaving just a glimpse of the beautifully 
 curved, soft underlip. But the exposed chin 
 showed massive firmness and strength, an obsti- 
 nacy of purpose unconquerable as death. Here 
 spoke the will of the man, the determination that 
 what he undertook to do he would do with all his 
 might and strength, ignoring all obstacles, true to 
 his resolve, like a hero to his colors. One liked 
 him for this immensity of will-power, and sub- 
 mitted meekly to his superiority of strength. His 
 whole physique inspired one with confidence and 
 trust. His deep, broad chest had widened, his 
 entire appearance was that of strong, aggressive, 
 self-reliant manhood. As Jette set down the tray, 
 and he rose to greet her, he towered fully a head 
 and shoulders above her, so that tall as she was, 
 she appeared to herself small and insignificant 
 beside him. 
 
 "Is this Jettchen Fraulein Jettchen? " he 
 said. 
 
 His tone was singularly soft and low for his 
 full, deep voice. It vibrated like the strings of 
 a harp in the wind. Like a flash their last inter- 
 view darted across Jette's mind. The night be- 
 fore his departure, when he had found her safely 
 home after she had run away from the picnic, and 
 he had talked to her as she had never in her 
 wildest dreams expected him to speak, and he 
 had kissed her Bah ! what folly was this ! She 
 laid her hand in his firm, warm clasp, and it 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 259 
 
 seemed as if an electric shock rooted her to the 
 spot. If he had chosen to retain her hand for a 
 year, she could not have withdrawn it. Helpless, 
 bewildered, intensely angry with herself, she looked 
 up at his towering height, and saw the smile 
 deepen around his lips. Slowly and lingeringly, 
 like an inward caress, he released her hand. She 
 instantly busied herself in arranging the table. 
 A fright and confusion she had never experienced 
 in her life made her hands tremble and her whole 
 frame quiver. Worlds she would have given to 
 see his eyes. Underneath the odious shade he 
 could watch her perfectly. What made him smile 
 in that exasperating manner, and sit as if en- 
 tranced ? He had always had a strange effect on 
 her ; if he only looked at her, she felt as if every 
 pore in her body bristled with aggressiveness. 
 But why? It was only because she had never 
 felt at her ease with him that made her awkward, 
 self-conscious, and self -constrained in his presence. 
 Donkey ! Was it not about time to outgrow this 
 feeling and appear perfectly self-possessed? To 
 behave like a stupid rustic, truly, a fine idea he 
 must have of her. 
 
 But the Frau Pastorin, who knew nothing of 
 all this, laughed. "Thou need'st not be formal 
 with our Henriette," she said, "though she is 
 grown up and quite a woman now. No matter 
 what changes may take place soon, with us she 
 will always be the same, eh?" She nodded at 
 her son, and laughed slyly, as she patted the girl's 
 hand. 
 
260 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 A spasm contracted Jette's heart, as it always 
 did whenever the most covert allusion was made 
 to her marriage. The silver coffee-pot she poised 
 in her hand clinked against the cup she was about 
 to fill. With a wild, piteous gaze she glanced at 
 the doctor. She knew he was regarding her. 
 Did he know ? Had his parents told him ? 
 
 "Thou speakest in riddles, dear mamma, " said 
 the doctor ; " what is it thou meanest by ' changes ' ? " 
 
 "As if thou didst not know," laughed his mo- 
 ther; "have I not told thee everything in my 
 letters?" 
 
 For an instant he was silent. Then he said 
 very deliberately, "Am I to congratulate?" 
 
 "Now, now, now," deprecated the Herr Pastor, 
 "there is no hurry, no hurry at all. Wait till the 
 suitor comes, then 't will be time enough to decide." 
 
 "Matters are decided!" ejaculated the Frau 
 Pastorin sharply. " Thou dear Heaven ! I think 
 the banker has behaved exemplary enough. Thou 
 surely canst find no further excuse to put him off. 
 Let the wedding take place, say I, as quickly as 
 possible. 'T will be a great comfort to me when 
 all is settled." 
 
 "I don't see much comfort in giving up Jett- 
 chen," ventured the Herr Pastor, "just as she has 
 grown almost indispensable to us." 
 
 "Nay," said the Frau Pastorin, "I '11 not deny 
 we shall miss her extremely. But we cannot let 
 our comfort stand in the way when such a chance 
 presents itself for settling her in life. Marry she 
 will have to, sooner or later. We have to accus- 
 tom ourselves to the idea, that is all." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 261 
 
 "And Jettchen," hazarded the doctor, "is she 
 satisfied?" 
 
 She could feel him looking at her, and a great 
 fright seized her. Now now, if the opportunity 
 came, and she might perhaps speak out, but the 
 Frau Pastorin interrupted sharply. 
 
 "How thou talkest, Fritz. What is a penni- 
 less girl to do, but to be glad, and happy, and 
 thankful at the chance of becoming a rich man's 
 wife. 'T is one in a million. But men are all 
 alike. Thou speakest just like thy father, as if 
 she had but to choose and be satisfied." 
 
 "We will not spoil Fritz's home-coming with 
 any such debates," cried the Herr Pastor cheerily. 
 "Thou art a dear, famous girl, Jettchen, to have 
 anticipated the wants of my languishing palate. 
 Come, another cup. No one can brew coffee like 
 thee. A little more cream, please. Thou, Fritz, 
 hast thou tasted anything more famous in thy 
 much-vaunted Vienna? " 
 
 "I will tell thee," answered the doctor grimly, 
 "whenever it may please Jettchen to serve me." 
 
 "Thou dear Heaven! Henriette nay, girl, 
 what ails thee? Art dreaming, or bereft of sense? 
 Thou shouldst have served him first, as he needs 
 it the most. And now I suppose what is left is 
 cold, "cried the Frau Pastorin, highly exasperated. 
 
 "I will run and make some more," exclaimed 
 the girl, in real distress. "How could I be so 
 forgetful? I beg your pardon, Herr Doctor, a 
 thousand times." She seized the coffee-pot, and 
 was about to rush off, but he lifted his hand, which 
 bespoke so much power. 
 
262 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 "You will stay," he said, "and pour out what 
 is left. I do not care for scalding-hot coffee in 
 such weather. I shall enjoy immensely what you 
 will give me." 
 
 She handed him his cup, and their hands met. 
 Tremblingly she withdrew hers, and set the cake 
 and fruit before him. All this she did with such 
 gracious humility as if she could not make up 
 enough for her neglect. 
 
 " It is very warm, " she murmured, fanning herself 
 with her handkerchief. She went to the entrance 
 of the arbor, and breathed deeply. "If you do 
 not want me any more " she began hesitatingly. 
 
 "But we do," said the doctor. "I want more 
 coffee, and you must serve me with more raspber- 
 ries. I have not tasted any like these since I left 
 home." 
 
 "Thou wert ever fond of them," observed his 
 mother, hugely enjoying his relish for home food 
 once more. 
 
 "Now, Jettchen," he said, "since you have 
 served me, I will wait upon you. I see you are 
 not inclined to join us. Here is your cup, and 
 here is a piece of cake. Will you please sit 
 down?" 
 
 She blushed, and was angry with herself for 
 doing so. The pastor gently pulled her down on 
 a chair beside him. Since the prospect of losing 
 her, she had grown very dear to him. 
 
 "Big as thou art, Fritz," he remarked fondly, 
 "thou actest the spoiled child still. Thou hadst 
 ever a way of making people do as thou pleased." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 263 
 
 "Thou hast not told us about Herr von Czechy," 
 said the Frau Pastor in. 
 
 Jette looked up eagerly. "Hans," said the 
 doctor, "is very happy. A trifle more dignified, 
 perhaps, as becomes the magnate of large estates. 
 But the same impulsive, hot-headed, open-hearted 
 fellow. He completely dominates his wife. It is 
 both comical and touching to see how she idolizes 
 him. They have two lovely twin children. The 
 boy was born first, and is called Henri. The 
 girl's name is Henriette." 
 
 Jette uttered a cry of delight. "That is in 
 compliment to thee," said the Frau Pastorin. 
 
 "Yes," replied the doctor, "he is very loyal, 
 and will never forget the service Jettchen did him. 
 What say you of looking them up on your wed- 
 ding trip, Jettchen ? They would give you a right 
 royal welcome, I assure you." 
 
 "How cruel he is," thought the girl, with a 
 sickening fear. The Frau Pastorin nodded her 
 head, well pleased. She always encouraged allu- 
 sions to the wedding. It was as if with that she 
 wanted to banish some misgivings of her own. 
 
 Babbett came out to tell the Herr Pastor a 
 peasant wanted to see him about his sick cow. 
 At the same time she wanted to gratify her very 
 pardonable eagerness to greet the Herr Doctor. 
 She had rocked his cradle when he was born, and 
 darned his little torn pinafores when he was in 
 dread of punishment from mamma, and dragged 
 him to the pump when he had rolled in the mud, 
 and consoled him when he was put in a corner with 
 
264 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 his face to the wall, and surreptitiously conveyed 
 goodies to him when banished from table. She 
 was old, work-worn, and wrinkled now, and he 
 had grown up into as perfect manhood as ever 
 was seen between the Neckar and the Ehine. He 
 was the Herr Doctor now ; proper respect had to 
 be maintained. But in her heart he was always 
 Fritzchen, the flaxen-haired baby she had petted 
 and spoiled and spanked. 
 
 Of course she was greeted with effusion. That 
 doctor was a rascal, and knew exactly where the 
 feminine heart is most vulnerable, be it with 
 queen or peasant. A little affection goes a great 
 way with either. Exactly as of old, he put his 
 arm around the dried-up little body's neck, and 
 saluted her with a smack that could be heard in 
 the next pasture. The dear old thing blushed, 
 and quivered all over with delight. 
 
 "Nay, but what a man thou hast grown," she 
 said, looking up at him with tremendous respect. 
 "I I beg pardon, you, I mean," she corrected 
 herself hastily. 
 
 He laughed, took her up as if she had been a 
 shuttlecock, lifted her high in the air, then set 
 her down as gently as if she were made of porce- 
 lain. The rest laughed, but Babbett was very 
 much ruffled. 
 
 "It did not need that to convince me how 
 strong you are," she said; "in future I'll take 
 very good care not to come near you." 
 
 He tapped her affectionately on the shoulder. 
 "Thou," he said, "thou 'It open thy eyes when 
 I '11 show thee what I have brought thee." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 265 
 
 She smirked, all her good humor restored to 
 think he had not forgotten her. The Frau Pas- 
 torin went back with her to the kitchen to consult 
 about the state of the larder. The Herr Pastor 
 had already gone to his study to see the peasant 
 who had the sick cow. Jette and the doctor were 
 left alone. 
 
 For a moment there was silence. Mechanically 
 the girl commenced to collect the scattered plates 
 and cups, and heaped them on the tray. The 
 arbor was not very large, so she had to edge her 
 way between the chairs, and came quite close to 
 him. He laid his hand upon hers. 
 
 "You have not yet asked me how I am," he 
 said. 
 
 Heavens ! Was that his voice ? Was it possi- 
 ble that it could thrill and vibrate and modulate 
 with such divine, caressing softness ? Like a band- 
 age that is gradually removed from eyes allowed 
 for the first time to see, she began to grope, dimly, 
 hesitatingly at a possibility which convulsed her 
 with terror. Trembling in every limb, she tried 
 to withdraw her hand. But he held it firmly in 
 his strong, warm clasp. That clasp which em- 
 braced her wrist also, which noted every beat of 
 her wildly leaping pulse. 
 
 "When friends meet after a long absence," con- 
 tinued he, "have they nothing to say to each other 
 but the cold formalities of the outside world? " 
 
 "Friends," she said faintly. She looked up at 
 him. He raised the disfiguring shade, and flung 
 it on the table. She saw his eyes, those beautiful, 
 
266 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 soft brown, radiant orbs, looking into her own. 
 She could not move, he held her enthralled, draw- 
 ing forth her soul, absorbing it forever. Her lips 
 were slightly parted, as if breath were suspended; 
 only the quivering of the nostrils gave signs of 
 life. It was as if a whirlpool of fire clutched her 
 and she went down, down, in the eddying current. 
 The torch flung into her breast kindled into fiercest 
 exulting life, and would never, never be quenched 
 any more. 
 
 The gravel on the path outside crunched under 
 a heavy step. He caught up the green shade, 
 and readjusted it over his eyes. She staggered 
 back, flung her hands up before her face, and fled 
 from the spot. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 A GREAT change had come over Jette. The 
 merry snatches of song which roused the echoes of 
 the parsonage were heard no more. The joyous 
 elasticity of her step became languid and subdued. 
 There were shadows around her eyes when she 
 came down of a morning ; the rose in her cheek 
 was transformed into a pale lily. More stately 
 she seemed to have become, and there was a 
 majesty in the way she held her head and looked 
 at one which took away a good deal from her 
 girlishness, but gave the added charm of the 
 woman. She was very little in the house, but 
 found a constant excuse for being out of doors. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 267 
 
 "If you will come and look at my garden," she 
 said to the Frau Pastorin, "you will see that a 
 great deal of work is needed yet before it looks 
 like itself again. Babbett can manage in the 
 house very well without me. I must get every- 
 thing in proper condition again." 
 
 "Thou art good and dutiful," said the Frau 
 Pastorin, "and wouldst not leave anything to 
 reflect on thy neatness before thou goest, eh? 
 'T is the way I would like thee to be, dear child. 
 'T is creditable to the way thou hast been brought 
 up, and surely thy husband will bless me for it." 
 
 Jette shuddered as if the ague clutched her. 
 Minka came up, purring, rubbing herself affec- 
 tionately against the girl's dress. 
 
 "No, thou canst not come," she said pettishly; 
 "thou art forever following me as if I were a 
 mouse, and thou wert only w r aiting to gobble me 
 up. Go thy ways, thou treacherous thing." 
 
 "Now," said the Frau Pastorin, opening her 
 eyes very wide, "how comest thou to such foolish 
 talk? The creature fairly dotes on thee, and 
 thou knowest it. Art thou not well ?" 
 
 The girl's lips quivered. She stooped down, 
 caught the big tabby in her arms, and bent over 
 to caress her. The tears had welled up into her 
 eyes, and she wanted to hide them. 
 
 "I have a little headache," she muttered. 
 
 "Thou!" ejaculated the Frau Pastorin. Her 
 astonishment grew and grew. It was the first 
 time in her life the hearty, healthy girl complained 
 of such a thing. "Nay," she said gravely, "that 
 
268 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 needs attending to. I shall ask Fritz to catechize 
 thee, for 't is best to take heed in time. Now I 
 come to look at thee, thou dost not seem the same 
 as usual. Thou shouldst appear thy very best now 
 for the honor of the bridegroom's coming. Go to 
 thy garden, but do not exert thyself. Remember 
 it will have to do without thee very soon." 
 
 She went to join her husband and son, who sat 
 on the shaded bench, smoking and enjoying the 
 delicious morning air, while Jette went to fetch 
 her large shade hat and gloves. 
 
 "Something has come over her," said the Frau 
 Pastor in suddenly. The Herr Pastor and the 
 doctor looked up, startled. 
 
 "I mean Henriette. Just now she complained 
 of headache. 'T is extraordinary. 'T is unheard 
 of." 
 
 "Bah," said the pastor, with equanimity, "young 
 girls are privileged to put forward excuses of that 
 kind." 
 
 " 'T was not an excuse," said the Frau Pastorin ; 
 "she is not spoilt that way. Dost thou not find 
 Henriette much changed, Fritz?" 
 
 "She has grown up," said the doctor, "exactly 
 into what I fancied she would." 
 
 The doctor certainly had a great advantage over 
 others. In wearing the shade over his eyes, one 
 could see very little of his face. Therefore, when 
 sometimes as now his words and tone were at 
 variance with each other, he left his listeners 
 greatly in doubt as to what he really meant. 
 Several days had now elapsed since his arrival, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 269 
 
 and he declared himself already greatly benefited, 
 but his eyes still had to be protected, and would 
 for some time to come. 
 
 "She is," said the pastor, "like one of Solo- 
 mon's songs, all myrrh and sweet-smelling things 
 and frankincense. She has a majesty of mien 
 which well might have become the Biblical queens 
 of old. I grudge her to the man she is to marry. 
 Much rather would I see her led to the altar by 
 one more akin to herself. 'T is grotesque to see 
 them together." 
 
 "Every advantage has its disadvantage," replied 
 the Frau Pastorin ; " with him she will have a life 
 like a queen. 'T was extremely lucky for her mat- 
 ters shaped themselves this way. Thou knowest 
 very well what the poor men of her faith are. 
 Her comeliness would weigh very lightly against 
 her want of dowry, I assure thee. 'T would have 
 been her greatest drawback. Her womanhood 
 would have been dragged into the dust by degrad- 
 ing drudgery and irksome surroundings. I war- 
 rant thee, 'twould be far more grotesque to see 
 her brought down thus, living her foolish mother's 
 life over again, than a trifling discrepancy in 
 appearance." 
 
 "Mamma," asked the doctor suddenly, "hast 
 thou ever asked her if she cares for him?" 
 
 " How thou talkest, Fritz ! Of course she cares 
 for him. How can she help it? How could any 
 girl help caring for a man who has perfectly ex- 
 hausted himself in devotion? Has he not waited 
 patiently for three long years? Have not his 
 
270 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 family received her with every mark of approba- 
 tion? Has she not seen sufficiently during her 
 visits there the splendor and luxury of the life 
 awaiting her? My only wonder is that she did 
 not clamor to return." 
 
 "Thy logic seems very well sustained," smiled 
 the pastor, stroking her hand softly ; " but confess 
 thou didst not reason this way when we were 
 married." 
 
 "Confess," she said affectionately, taking him 
 by the ears, "that thou art an old donkey. Ever 
 and always thou forgettest how exceptionally she 
 is placed." 
 
 "That is true," answered the pastor, with a sigh. 
 " Since I have seen her blossom into most gracious 
 girlhood, I have often wished her faith did not 
 separate her from us. 'T would have simplified 
 matters so much. 'T is most likely she looks for- 
 ward with some trepidation to the coming of the 
 banker. That may account for her sober mood." 
 
 "If 'tis as mamma thinks," remarked the doc- 
 tor, "a concern of her health, it concerns me also. 
 As guardian of the family's well-being, 'tis my 
 special privilege to find out. I shall seek her, 
 and she shall come out with the truth, never fear." 
 
 "I told her I would tell thee," replied the Frau 
 Pastorin; "do thou question her, Fritz. I would 
 that now of all times she should look her best. 
 Thou 'It find her in the garden adjoining the or- 
 chard. And listen, thou. Do not let her work 
 in the sun. What matters now? The garden 
 will have another care-taker soon." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 271 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 As if he had not known where to find her; as 
 if he had forgotten all her favorite haunts and 
 nooks, and where she would most likely fly for 
 refuge; as if he had not hungered and watched 
 for this opportunity to catch her alone, the first 
 she had given him since his home-coming, in the 
 arbor where they had stood eye to eye, heart re- 
 vealed to heart at last. As he vaulted lightly over 
 the fence inclosing the orchard from the dusty 
 chaussee, he saw the drooping boughs of the old 
 sycamore under whose spreading branches he knew 
 she sat, with the purling brook babbling its secret 
 at her feet. She had often idly wondered what 
 the brook could have so much to murmur about, 
 repeating the same story over and over again. 
 Now she knew. She listened with eyes staring 
 wide in the distance, her pale, hopeless face more 
 wondrously fair against the frame of lustrous 
 black hair than it had ever seemed to him with 
 the bloom of joyous, unthinking youth upon it. 
 The great cat lay near her, stretched full length in 
 the sun, her gleaming topaz eyes occasionally blink- 
 ing at her young mistress. The doctor's footfall 
 made no sound on the springy turf, and he was upon 
 her before she fairly knew it. The rosy dawn of 
 consciousness kissed her face and throat, and made 
 her thrill all over. He sat down on the broad stone 
 beside her, necessarily very close, for the seat was 
 hardly wide enough to hold both. He could feel 
 
272 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 her tremble ; his own pulses vibrated in touch with 
 hers. He took off his hat and let the heavenly 
 breezes, blowing straight from the Rhine, cool his 
 heated brow and revel among his soft, thick fair 
 curls. He looked down upon her drooping head, 
 where the glossy coil of darkest hair showed in 
 most striking contrast with the strip of snowy neck 
 beneath, and upon this spot let his famished eyes 
 rest. Now he was contented, happy, and at ease 
 as he had never in his life been before. So might 
 the first man and the first woman have looked, 
 sitting in their Garden of Eden, perfect in the 
 image of Him who had just created them, before 
 a stupid posterity obliterated and defaced what 
 there was of divine. 
 
 " Jettchen," he murmured softly. 
 
 She made no answer. Her chin nearly touched 
 her breast. The fingers of her hand lying in her 
 lap nervously interlaced each other. He sepa- 
 rated them gently and retained hold of them. 
 
 " You must not," he said, as she endeavored to 
 withdraw them. " I am only trying to feel your 
 pulse. My mother sent me here to find out what 
 ails you." 
 
 She looked at him in amazement. " Your mo- 
 ther ! " she stammered. 
 
 " Is it so strange she should feel concerned 
 about you? She thinks you are troubled about 
 something. Will you not tell me what it is ? " 
 
 Oh, the caressing love in his voice. The domi- 
 nating, magnetic touch upon her wrist. "There 
 is nothing nothing the matter with me." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 273 
 
 " You cannot impose upon the physician, or 
 upon the lover." 
 
 For a moment she sat transfixed, steeped from 
 head to foot in quivering ecstasy. But not for 
 her was this sweetest of all joys. Now she would 
 have to show what mettle she was made of. 
 
 " Herr Doctor," she ventured timidly. 
 
 He smiled, inclining his stately head. "Not 
 quite so formal, if you please." 
 
 " May may I earnestly beg a favor of you ? " 
 
 From beneath his shade he watched her keenly. 
 For the matter of that, his eyes had never left her 
 face. 
 
 " It depends," he answered, " upon the nature of 
 your request." 
 
 " I would beg of you to go away to go away 
 till all is over that is I mean until until 
 I am gone for good." 
 
 " H'm ! And where wouldst thou go ? " 
 
 " You you know what is impending. He 
 he will be here very soon. Only a short time 
 then all will be over. I I will let them hurry 
 matters just as they wish." 
 
 " Dear child," said the doctor amiably, " thou 
 wilt have to be a little more explicit, if I am to 
 understand thee." 
 
 No, he would not help her. He played with 
 her feelings as Minka would with a mouse. 
 
 She muttered brokenly, " You must know what 
 I mean ; it has been discussed openly enough. I 
 am to be married it will be soon now he he 
 may already be on his way. It it will soon be 
 over. Then you can return here." 
 
274 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Why should I go away ? What does this man 
 concern me?" 
 
 She stared at him, white to the lips. Strong 
 shudders shook her frame. Beads of agony stood 
 upon her brow. He flung his arm around her and 
 strained her passionately to his breast. 
 
 " Thou shalt be tortured no more, poor, brave, 
 darling child. Thou hast not been defenseless 
 all this time. Have I not loved thee ever since 
 the dawn of the morning thou stood'st over my 
 sleeping form on the ground over yonder and 
 badest me arise and follow thee ? Like a young 
 goddess thou stood'st in the wake of the rising 
 sun, thy bared, milk-white arm raised to the path 
 of light, the glow drawing closer and closer thy 
 heavenly form in its amorous embrace. So prayed 
 I one day to enfold thee, and to that end have I 
 labored and struggled and toiled, denied myself 
 all indulgences, opposed an iron determination 
 to temptation, and kept myself free of all evil, 
 that when the time came I might give thee an 
 embrace as virgin as thy own. For three long 
 years I have fed upon thy image, and have seen 
 thee always thus, what thou hast grown up into, 
 thou dearest, fairest of all fair maids. Thy 
 sweet presence has been the polar star which 
 guided me to the goal, a goal I swore to myself 
 I would reach before that other one should claim 
 thee. For what purpose, dost thou think, have 
 the letters flown between here and Vienna, and 
 the least trivial circumstance been laid hold of, 
 but to keep myself fully informed of everything 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 275 
 
 concerning thee? For what my sudden return? 
 And now, love me, love me a little, for indeed 
 my famished soul has hungered long and patiently 
 enough." 
 
 He lifted her arms and put them around his 
 neck. He had raised the shade from his eyes, and 
 looked blissfully, silently into her own. He and 
 she alone in the world, let no one dare come be- 
 tween them. She had sat as one stunned, reason 
 and judgment carried away by the mighty torrent 
 of his avowal. Now she knew why he had kissed 
 her the night before he went away. The kiss 
 which he had just redeemed, which had waited for 
 him all these years ! Father in heaven ! Could 
 such bliss be only to be tantalized with it ! To 
 renounce ay, that was it. To renounce, to 
 hunger, to go through life with a heart of lead. 
 He had not reckoned with the consequences, but 
 she she knew. 
 
 " I am but a simple girl," she said, " weak, as 
 the dear Lord has fashioned my sex. Lend me 
 the strength of your superabundant manhood, that 
 it may fortify me with what I have to say." 
 
 There was a grandeur in her voice, the look with 
 which she regarded him, which inspired him with 
 infinite pity and respect. All her arguments he 
 knew beforehand, and how they would leave him 
 untouched. Of what use was it to match her will 
 against his? In the whole world there existed 
 but one thing for him, his love for her, her 
 love for him. All else would have to adjust itself 
 to this. He freed her from his embrace, and she 
 
276 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 rose and leaned against the tree, looking at him 
 with her clear, beautiful eyes. 
 
 " If nothing divided us," she began, " I would 
 now prostrate myself before the Giver of all 
 things, and bless Him for the inexpressible boon 
 of life. The angels might envy such happiness 
 as your words for a moment gave me. Now, my 
 most ardent wish is that I may die, that I may be 
 wiped off the face of the earth, never to be seen 
 or heard of any more." 
 
 He folded his arms and sat still. It would all 
 have to come out, the sooner the better. After 
 that well, he had his plans. A fierce exulta- 
 tion swelled his breast, the longing for battle, 
 in which he knew he would subdue and come off 
 conqueror. 
 
 " That I may die," she repeated. " The torch 
 you have set flaring high in my heart will burn 
 and rage forever. The fire of your words has 
 scorched me. Heaven beckons with joy divine, 
 and I have to plunge into deepest, deepest hell." 
 
 " Where is the necessity ? " he asked. 
 
 " You ask me ? Ah, you know. Duty demands 
 it the regard for others. What ! Shall I like a 
 serpent fasten the fangs of treacherous ingratitude 
 into your parents' hearts, and make them curse the 
 day they rescued me from the highway? You 
 forget what I was when I first came here. 
 Beaten, all but stoned to death, your father took 
 me in his arms like one of his stray sheep, and 
 he and your mother nursed me back to life, and 
 opened its joys, its usefulness, and possibilities to 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 277 
 
 me. They rescued me from the gutter, and shel- 
 tered and fed and loved me, and brought me up in 
 truth and honor and righteousness. All my life 
 they have willed nothing but what was good and 
 best for me." 
 
 " In all that," observed the doctor, " there is no- 
 thing which disqualifies you to become my wife." 
 
 She shuddered and closed her eyes. " You, the 
 Christian, I, the Jewess ? " 
 
 "Bah! What matters to either of us? Thy re- 
 ligion is to love me mine to love thee. 'T is so 
 as God intended. With the barricades, hate, su- 
 perstition, prejudice has hedged around us, neither 
 thou nor I have anything to do." 
 
 " As long as we depend upon and mingle with 
 our fellow creatures we, too, are penned within 
 those narrow confines. Our puny strength would 
 soon fall exhausted before its combined force. I 
 should be a millstone around your neck, the dead 
 weight under which you would sink to destruction. 
 Your career, so gloriously begun, and stretching 
 in a vista of fame, honor, and renown before you, 
 would be ruined forever. Those who now regard 
 you with admiration and respect would banish you 
 from their midst. Strong as you may be in your 
 love and loyal to its duties, great as may be your 
 courage to withstand and your resolve to conquer, 
 you would inevitably go under. And I I should 
 have the agony of seeing you sink, my ever-rest- 
 less conscience repeating the heartbreaking re- 
 frain, ' 'T is thy work ; thou, thou hast done this.' " 
 
 " Is my manhood a jest ? " asked he sternly. 
 
278 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Am I weak enough to let myself become a by- 
 word? Am I a puppet to allow others to mould 
 my destiny ? For what dost thou take me ? For 
 what was my strength and steadfastness given me ? 
 Is not my own sound sense and judgment to con- 
 trol my actions, my own honor and rectitude to be 
 my guide ? Thou arguest from thy own inexperi- 
 ence and limited standpoint. This spot of earth is 
 not the whole world. Courage enough have I to 
 wrestle with it, and wherever I go it will give me 
 my bread. Fling away this faint-heartedness of 
 thine. With thee by my side, let what may betide. 
 A loving heart thou wilt ever have to cherish thee, 
 a stout arm to protect thee, a right lusty good will 
 to maintain thee a home in which thou and I can 
 be alone with our happiness." 
 
 She shook her head. " Your parents, they 
 will never consent." 
 
 " Come, place thy hand in mine. This instant 
 will we put it to the proof." 
 
 "Your mother's heart would break. Your fa- 
 ther, his stern principles of rectitude and honor, 
 they would revolt against the very idea of such 
 a union." 
 
 " Because we love each other ? " 
 
 " Because my religion stands between us. Like 
 an impenetrable wall of granite, it towers between 
 you and me. The synagogue will cast me out, it 
 will lay its ban upon me. Nowhere shall I find 
 any rest. Even my bones will be forbidden an 
 abiding-place. Isolated here and hereafter shall 
 I dwell, never on the day of resurrection shall I 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 279 
 
 see the face of father or mother again. Nowhere 
 will a hand in greeting be extended to me. I 
 shall be banished from their midst." 
 
 " Humph ! thy fears may make thee exaggerate. 
 Thou and I will visit thy rabbi and speedily find 
 out. And even if 't were so, our love is such it 
 has to be battled for. Hast thou not the courage 
 for that ? Nay, the prospect but steels my nerves 
 and puts my mettle on edge. As I have said, 
 this spot of earth is not the whole world." 
 
 She gazed at him sadly. " The world is wide 
 enough ; happy and miserable people dwell every- 
 where. But the ban of which I speak would not 
 be left here. Wherever I went, to the remot- 
 est corner of the earth, would it pursue me. 
 There would be no fleeing from it. Night and 
 day would it stalk like a spectre at my side, turn 
 the laugh of merriment to a ghastly groan, blanch 
 the color upon my lips, and quench the light in 
 my eyes. Daily, hourly, you would see me wither, 
 and shrink and listen in horror for the invisible 
 footstep beside me." 
 
 He took her in his arms, and passed his hand 
 over her brow. 
 
 "Priests' talk," he said contemptuously ; "hell's 
 wiles, with which to intimidate the strong and turn 
 the brain of the weak. Dear, dear heart! how 
 canst thou conjure up such unhealthy images and 
 fever thy brain with such unholy things? Such 
 teachings emanate from the devil, not from the 
 Pure Source of Love. Trust to me, my own, dear, 
 dear one. These arms are strong enough to shelter 
 
280 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 thee ; my love shall protect thee from all evil. 
 Only be a little strong and firm thyself. Such 
 images as thou conjuredst up but now exist no- 
 where but in the disordered imagination. When 
 thou art mine, there will be no more room for such. 
 Give thyself into my guidance. Dost not think I 
 am strong enough to do battle for both ? " 
 
 "Oh," she uttered, "'tis not for myself that I 
 fear. What matters ! I have been a passive cow- 
 ard all these years, now the end must come. 
 Let it bring what it will, I dare not drag you 
 down to ruin." 
 
 " Thou canst say this with my arms enfolding 
 thee?" 
 
 " Father in heaven," she prayed, " give me 
 strength. Grant me the fortitude to do what is 
 right. Imbue me with the spirit which demands 
 this sacrifice for the welfare of those nearest and 
 dearest to me." 
 
 " The cry of a faint heart," replied the doctor, 
 " which would trample upon itself without bene- 
 fiting others. Mark this, dearest, and mark it 
 for all time. With me thou canst not reckon this 
 way. If in a mistaken idea of duty thou con- 
 templatest giving thyself to this man, I will pluck 
 thee from his embrace. At the moment the word 
 of consent is about to pass thy lips, I will step for- 
 ward, and, throwing all considerations to the winds, 
 claim thee as my own. Welcome will be the op- 
 portunity to end all this needless concealment and 
 pain. My love is too sacred to make a flaunting 
 thing of, and fain would I rejoice in this sweet, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 281 
 
 stolen communion for a little while longer before 
 sordid worldly argument rears its obnoxious head. 
 Thy love and mine, dear, dear heart. But if 
 thou f orcest me to it, why, then I take up the 
 gauntlet willingly. Dost credit me with so little 
 manhood that I would ever yield thee to another, 
 Cro3sus, king, or emperor, though he be ? " 
 
 " It must be," she answered, the tears streaming 
 down her cheeks, " or disaster will overtake us all." 
 
 " What ! and take thee in his arms like this ? 
 and kiss thy lips thus ? and lay thy head upon 
 his bosom so ? and gird his neck with thy snowy 
 arms?" 
 
 " I will kill myself ! " she cried ; " I will deface 
 what there is of allurement in this unfortunate, 
 unhappy face. All shall shudder who come to 
 look upon it. Father in heaven ! I dare not drag 
 thee down to destruction." 
 
 " Thou wilt not do that, because the same bier 
 that bears thy lifeless body hence will also con- 
 tain mine. Thy life and mine are indissolubly 
 bound to each other. Whatever thou dost to 
 thyself, thou dost to me. Dance, sing, be happy, 
 so wilt thou rejoice my heart; steel me for the 
 struggle to come, that we may attain the end. 
 Such natures as thine and mine were not made to 
 go through life scathless. We will have to fight 
 for our happiness, but in the end it will come." 
 
 " Oh, no ! oh, no ! oh, no ! " she said desolately, 
 " such happiness as this was never given to mortals 
 to enjoy. Too truly does my foreboding heart 
 tell me that it can never be." 
 
282 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Be brave only a little while longer," he urged ; 
 " reckon with this obnoxious suitor for all time to 
 come. Then will I take thy hand and ask my 
 parents for their blessing. At first they may 
 demur, but," he threw back his head proudly, 
 44 1 am a man, and shall exert a man's right to 
 shape my own destiny. There is nothing in thee 
 the sternest demands of honor or rectitude can 
 object to. A king might be proud to place thee 
 on the throne beside him. Thy religion ? Bah ! 
 thou mayest bend the knee, or prostrate thyself, 
 or worship in any manner, fashion, or form it 
 pleases thee, only love me, that is all I ask. In 
 thy heart dwells the divine, thy soul is immortal. 
 Travel thy own route for reaching the Eternal 
 Bourne, be sure thou takest me with thee. My 
 soul will follow thy footsteps, devoutly grateful 
 for such an unerring guide. Hand in hand there, 
 as here in earth, will we step before the Father, 
 and He will not say us nay, or refuse either thee 
 or me his benediction." 
 
 Now of her own accord she put her arms around 
 his neck. Admiration, love, grief, all striving so 
 violently with one another that she could hardly 
 speak. 
 
 "Who would not love thee?" she breathed. 
 "Oh, if there were only more like thee! Alas, 
 alas, the more noble and lofty thou, the more 
 useless thy struggles ! Thou wilt be derided, 
 jeered, laughed ?t. Oh, my heart, my heart, my 
 heart! Nay, let me weep, weep, till my heart 
 breaks. Fritz, dear, dear Fritz, for I will call 
 
A TEXT OF GRACE 283 
 
 thee so for the first, the last time, nay, let me 
 weep." She sank to her knees, her arms stretched 
 to heaven, her piteous sobs convulsing her limbs, 
 "I dare not, dare not grasp the heaven thou 
 boldest out to me. For thee and for me there 
 remains but one thing renunciation." 
 
 " Never," he replied firmly. " As sure as yon 
 sun shines in heaven and will shine again to-mor- 
 row, and for decade upon decade, long after the 
 least speck of dust of thy bones and mine remains, 
 surely will I never yield thee to another. Pit not 
 thy will against mine. Useless are thy struggles, 
 and that in the end thou wilt find." 
 
 " If my comeliness were defaced," she asked, 
 "if I were disfigured, hideous, surely thou 
 wouldst not love me any more ? " 
 
 " I would love thee as long as a shred remained 
 of thee. And if which God forbid ! anything 
 untoward of the nature thou speakest of were to 
 happen, the same should happen also to me, so 
 that thou shouldst not feel shamed in looking at 
 me. Thou must not let such unhealthy thoughts 
 rise within thee. Strong and perfect of mind and 
 body thou art, and so it shall be my care thou 
 shalt remain. The great Creator of all has cast 
 thee in his own divine mould, just to show an 
 ungrateful posterity what his creatures from the 
 first were intended to be. 'Tis a sacred trust, 
 and take thou heed thou dost no blasphemy by 
 not taking all possible care of it, and like a 
 faithful servant guarding it with all due precaution 
 and care." 
 
284 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 He raised her to her feet and seated her on the 
 stone beside him. Her head he pillowed on his 
 shoulder, and drew her close within his sheltering 
 arm. She was perfectly passive, for her strength 
 was spent. 
 
 " Rest thee, Geliebte," he said so softly the 
 angels might have whispered it. " Then we will 
 go home." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 " LEID'L heb's Fuessel in die Hoeh' heut' geigt 
 der Strauss," hummed the doctor, in the charming 
 Viennese vernacular. His magnificent baritone 
 was subdued ; dreamily he watched the blue rings 
 from his cigar mingle with, then lose themselves 
 in the fleecy summer clouds. It was the day after 
 his interview with Jette. He had hardly seen 
 anything of her all day, and this made him some- 
 what restless. He wanted to know how she felt, 
 for he knew that a depressing lassitude had fol- 
 lowed the terrible mental strain of yesterday. Of 
 what use was her fuming and fretting ? She could 
 not lay any plans without his circumventing them. 
 Happy he wanted her to be, happy and joyous as 
 of old, to come to him with the dancing step 
 which bespoke her superabundant vitality, to look 
 at him with her half-wistful, half-roguish eyes, to 
 see the dimples round her mouth chased away by 
 laughter, to feast his eyes upon the harmonious 
 picture which had tantalized him with its shadow 
 long enough. To his 'mother's anxious inquiries 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 285 
 
 about the result of his interview, he gave her 
 cheerfully to understand that everything would 
 adjust itself of its own accord once the "bank 
 affair " was disposed of. But Jette must not be 
 kept in the house. It was very natural she should 
 feel restless, therefore what so beneficial for her 
 as the open ? 
 
 However, she had managed very cleverly to keep 
 herself indoors. In the morning, at breakfast, a 
 pain like a dagger-thrust struck his heart when 
 he saw her. So wan and piteously self-torturing 
 he had never thought it possible a night of agony 
 could make her. Her voice bespoke the suffering 
 of her heart. She was so quiet, so subdued, so 
 touchingly humble in her despair. It would go 
 hard with her that he knew from the first. 
 That she should grieve and condemn herself like 
 this had not entered into his calculation. He 
 would not stand it, he could not. Much he was 
 willing to concede to her, for in one thing she 
 was right, it would be highly injudicious to 
 take his parents by storm. He owed them duty 
 and consideration, especially his mother, who was 
 now in that trying period of a woman's life where 
 both mind and body have to be most delicately 
 considered. Jette must be brought to listen to 
 reason and to act accordingly. In this trial she 
 was not alone. Some regard was due to him also, 
 did she find no consolation, no compensation in 
 his love at all, then ? 
 
 That no one should notice her distress, he rattled 
 on during breakfast in a manner which showed 
 
286 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 that he was still the same roguish, boyish-hearted 
 Fritz of old. This roused the Herr Pastor's love 
 of fun, whose heart had never outgrown its infancy. 
 So nonsensical and merry were they that the 
 punctilious Frau Pastorin spilled her coffee several 
 times, her hand shook so with laughter. For this 
 she was fined on the spot, just as Fritz when he 
 was little Fritzchen had been for any accident 
 to the spotless table linen. Once she had to kiss 
 the Herr Pastor on the bald spot of his head, 
 which she did with much loving unction ; another 
 time she had to give the tips of the doctor's 
 luxurious mustache a bolder twist, which she also 
 did, with a hearty kiss on the tempting lips besides ; 
 a third time she was requested to count the hairs 
 in Minka's whiskers, which she did not do. It 
 was a happy, merry meal, which the four composing 
 it had good cause to remember. Under his shade 
 the doctor looked at Jette, and his mood became 
 almost hilarious when he saw the smile come to 
 her lips. And when he bent his figure in front 
 of his mother to let her pay the penalty on his 
 mustaches, she actually laughed, a sound which 
 caused his heart to dance with joy. She looked at 
 him with a mixture of love, humility, and self- 
 abnegation which made his eyes water ; he longed 
 to take her in his arms and kiss all her fears 
 away. 
 
 Now, it was well on in the afternoon, and still 
 she did not come out. Coffee had been drunk 
 as usual in the arbor, but Babbett had brought 
 in the tray. The Herr Pastor had been fetched 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 287 
 
 away by the peasant, whose cow was not yet re- 
 covered. He was a poor man, and the cow was 
 the special item in his possession. The Frau Pas- 
 tor in was rummaging in her linen closet. The 
 doctor had just determined to bespeak his mother's 
 authority in sending forth the obstinate girl, when 
 he descried her coming out of the house, basket 
 and scissors in hand. She was going to cut some 
 flowers to grace the evening meal. Hurrah ! That 
 suited him exactly. The garden was a good dis- 
 tance from the house, one had to cross the poul- 
 try yard and outhouses first ; besides, the flowering 
 laburnum and tall lilac bushes sheltered one com- 
 pletely. Now he would see and speak to her. 
 
 The strawberry bed was on the further side of 
 the flower garden, and she was stooping over it 
 when he came up. She looked so sweet in her 
 light blue dress, heightening the dazzling purity of 
 her complexion, the white neck beneath her coil 
 of black hair, his favorite spot of adoration, 
 gleaming like marble in the sun. He kissed it as 
 he came noiselessly behind her, put his hands to 
 her waist, and drew her up to him. He kissed the 
 small, lovely ear, rolling it playfully between his 
 lips, as if he meant to bite it. Her two hands he 
 drew up to his breast, and held them there. 
 
 " Why dost thou avoid me ? " questioned he. 
 
 The lids drooped over her eyes, so that the long 
 black lashes touched the white of her cheeks. 
 Her hands she tried to withdraw, but he kept 
 them firmly clasped. Well he knew the tremen- 
 dous personal magnetism that streamed from his 
 
288 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 touch to hers and set her whole body tingling. 
 But her lips were curved in a firm resolve, her 
 passive attitude bespoke obstinate resistance. 
 
 " Will the battle have to be fought over again ? " 
 he asked, smiling. 
 
 " I shall do my duty," she said coldly. 
 
 " Meaning that you will accept the banker ? " 
 
 " I shall accept him," she said. 
 
 He knew he was cruel, but he felt himself 
 goaded to it. " Do you love him ? " 
 
 Ah, the look she cast upon him, fear, horror, 
 aversion, disgust, mingled with the most piteous 
 supplication. His heart cried out in pity, but not 
 yet would he relent. 
 
 " This fair, sweet shrine, which the divinities 
 might gladly worship, thou wilt sell for his base 
 gold?" 
 
 " I will sell it, so as not to bring ruin upon 
 this house." 
 
 " And if he caress thee ? " 
 
 " I shall fall dead at his feet, or go mad and 
 strangle him." 
 
 " Hast thou no mercy, no pity for him ? " 
 
 " None. He is the baser of the two." 
 
 " Have I not told thee that the same fate which 
 overtakes thee overtakes me also?" 
 
 " You will live live to forget me to marry 
 some one who will be your equal far more 
 worthy of you than I am." 
 
 " I have told thee that at the decisive moment 
 I will step forward and claim thee. Dost thou 
 think I will not do it?" 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 289 
 
 " You may do it. But I shall give the lie to all 
 you say, and marry the other one on the spot 
 that he may take me away at once." 
 
 " Thou wilt have to reckon with my father first. 
 When I speak thou wilt have to own the truth. 
 He will not accept the sacrifice. Thou wilt pre- 
 cipitate matters without gaining anything." 
 
 " But I will not own the truth. I will lie, lie 
 so that the fiends shall laugh, and I will laugh 
 with them." 
 
 He was silent a moment, holding her hot fevered 
 hands still against his breast. 
 
 " Geliebte," he inquired, in his rich, soft voice, 
 which made her clench her teeth in curbed ago- 
 nies, " hast thou no regard for my sufferings ? Is 
 love of so little worth to thee?" 
 
 " It is of so much worth to me," she replied, " that 
 I shall die for it. My life I throw in the balance 
 that you shall continue to live in honor and fame, 
 as you are living now. A little while and all 
 will have forgotten me. But you ah, how many 
 hopes and fears are bound up in your career ! 
 Later, when grown wise in years and renown, you 
 will look back upon this as a foolish episode, and 
 bless me for having remained steadfast." 
 
 " Thou hast strung thyself up to so high a 
 pitch," he observed, " that thou art no more capa- 
 ble of putting forth any reason or judgment than 
 a patient under stress of delirium. Yesterday 
 thou wert a dove, to-day thou art a vulture, claw- 
 ing thy own heart and making carrion of mine. 
 What now passes in thy fevered brain thou wilt 
 
290 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 never do. Mad people have to be restrained, and 
 that thou surely wilt be lest thou dost eternal 
 harm to thyself." 
 
 Before she could answer they heard Babbett 
 calling, 
 
 " Jette ! Jette, where art thou ? " She came 
 nearer, stumbling over herself in her haste. " Those 
 inside there," she said with a significant smirk, 
 jerking her thumb towards the house, " want thee. 
 He for whom thou waitest has come." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 THE three years which Herr Goldman had con- 
 sented to wait for the consummation of his happi- 
 ness had not in any wise improved him. Neither 
 his temper nor his habits were calculated to hide 
 the passing of old Father Time. The gold rings 
 in his prominent eyes looked as if they had been 
 sent to the wash and found wanting ; unsightly 
 bags puffed themselves beneath. The brittle red 
 hair was brushed most carefully towards the crown, 
 trying to conceal somewhat its very marked bald- 
 ness. His cheeks were distended, fat, and flabby, 
 of a decidedly unwholesome, underdone muffin 
 color. His inclination to corpulency had increased 
 considerably; it was plainly to be seen that the 
 waistline would soon be lost in abdominal propor- 
 tions. Always below the medium height, this by 
 no means increased the grace of his appearance. 
 He was most faultlessly and elegantly dressed, in 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 291 
 
 the most perfect taste, which proclaimed at once 
 the cultivated man of the world. He had plunged 
 at once into all necessary details, and had settled 
 all preliminaries with the Herr Pastor before Jette 
 made her tardy appearance. Indeed, there had 
 been very little left to settle. During the occa- 
 sional visits the Herr Pastor had consented he 
 should pay to the parsonage matters had been dis- 
 cussed between them often enough, " always pro- 
 vided," as the Herr Pastor had stipulated, " that 
 the girl herself should consent ! " And of this 
 consent he was so sure that he looked upon it as a 
 mere matter of form, a mere preliminary which 
 should bind her to him with the putting on of the 
 betrothal ring, speedily to be followed by the 
 wedding. 
 
 Much to his chagrin, he had to curb his eager- 
 ness to greet Jette until the evening meal was 
 ready to be placed upon the table. A hundred 
 pretenses she found to help Babbett in making 
 the necessary additions for the unexpected guest, 
 though the old woman protested most vigorously, 
 declaring it a scandal and a shame to treat a wait- 
 ing suitor so. It was just before the big lamp on 
 the centre table was lit. The full moon had risen 
 and was flooding the dusky gloaming with its sil- 
 very radiance. Close behind her came the doctor, 
 and it must be confessed that the sight of the stal- 
 wart magnificent form following close upon her 
 heels somewhat subdued Herr Goldman's raptur- 
 ous greeting, causing his jealousy to flare up sky- 
 high. 
 
292 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 44 My son," introduced the Frau Pastorin. Like 
 the clang of joy bells one could distinctly trace the 
 pride and joy in the tones of her voice. " Nay, 
 dearest, why dost thou raise the protecting shade 
 from thy eyes ? Surely thou 'It inflame them and 
 retard their perfect recovery." 
 
 44 Only for a moment, mamma. Out of proper 
 respect to our guest. Give thyself no uneasiness. 
 In a day or two the obnoxious thing can be dis- 
 carded for good." 
 
 For a moment the two men looked at each 
 other, the doctor's grandeur of height and perfect 
 symmetry of form making a mockery of the other's 
 squat, uneven proportions. To the jealous fury 
 of the banker it seemed like a menace which the 
 lightning-like glance of the brown eyes challenged. 
 The green shade dropped over the eyes again. 
 
 44 Herr Dr. von Feldern," said Herr Goldman, 
 with perfect politeness. The Frau Pastorin started 
 and convulsively pressed the hand of her husband. 
 It was the first time she had ever heard her son 
 addressed by his new dignity. She could hardly 
 contain her rapture. 
 
 Oh, yes. Herr Goldman was well informed 
 about everything concerning the Herr Doctor. 
 Who did not know of his fame, so wonderfully 
 and quickly acquired ? A magnificent career 
 awaited him. The Herr Pastor and the Frau 
 Pastorin were indeed to be congratulated upon 
 the possession of such a son. Very seldom in 
 fact hardly ever had it been known that a 
 young man had made his way so rapidly. It 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 293 
 
 was to be presumed that the Herr Doctor could 
 not be spared long from his extensive practice, 
 that Vienna would insist upon his speedy return. 
 
 " I have but just arrived," observed the doctor 
 cheerfully. " You see me quite in the hands of my 
 dear ones, who, I very much fear, will not allow 
 me to depart again." 
 
 " No, indeed," said the Frau Pastorin, passing 
 her hand over his curls with the peculiarly linger- 
 ing fond mother touch. " Of exile there has been 
 
 O 
 
 enough ; sad and sore the time has been. There 
 will be 110 returning to Vienna, Herr Goldman. 
 Our beloved Rhinegau will be large enough field 
 for him." 
 
 Herr Goldman glanced uneasily towards Jette. 
 She was passing in and out, helping to arrange 
 the dishes on the table. Was she never coming 
 to speak to him ? Hardly had she greeted him. 
 While he was talking to that great hulking, over- 
 bearing blonde ass she had quietly slipped out 
 again. But patience ! here was the evening meal : 
 she would sit beside him ; he would press her hand 
 as a mute sign of his love and adoration. Come 
 what would afterwards he would speak to her, and 
 retire for the night happy, an engaged man. 
 
 But she did not sit beside him. In the most 
 amiable, the most nonchalant manner possible the 
 doctor occupied that place. Wholly unconscious 
 of the vindictive anathemas simmering against 
 him in the banker's breast, he rattled on in the 
 gayest, the most unconcerned tones. He drew the 
 furious man beside him into discussions about life 
 
294 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 in Vienna, challenged comparisons, exchanged re- 
 miniscences, related anecdotes of prominent people 
 they both knew, and with that irresistible smile 
 of his administered such stinging doses of torture 
 that the other could have flown at his throat 
 and strangled him. And all the time he knew 
 that seated right opposite to them she could not 
 avoid looking at them both. He was not con- 
 ceited, but like every one with a particle of self- 
 esteem, he had a proper opinion of himself. And 
 he smiled as he looked down at the man beside 
 him with the insolence of triumph. 
 
 That evening they sat longer at table than ever 
 before. It seemed as if their talk never would 
 end. Herr Goldman had traveled more exten- 
 sively than the doctor, he was at home in every 
 large city of the world. Once drawn into discus- 
 sion and reminiscence he, too, talked as he could, 
 graphically and well. It was quite late when 
 finally they rose from table. Fritz brought out a 
 case of cigars, whose brand made Herr Gold- 
 man open his eyes. 
 
 " You are a good judge, I see," he remarked, 
 selecting one very deliberately ; " it is seldom one 
 has the chance to enjoy a whiff at one like these." 
 
 " A present," he said carelessly ; " I am not very 
 prodigal with them, even to myself, but on an 
 occasion like this one can afford to be generous." 
 
 His teeth glistened between the sweep of his 
 mustache as he smiled amiably and assisted the 
 banker to a light. 
 
 " Fetch thy guitar, Jettchen," requested the pas- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 295 
 
 tor, as with his long lean legs stretched out before 
 him he rapturously inhaled the aroma of his cigar. 
 " Sing me my favorite Tyrolean song, which thou 
 hast denied me so long. Since Fritz came home 
 thou hast given up thy habit of lulling me to sleep 
 with it every night." 
 
 To the doctor's delight and surprise she com- 
 plied. His dear, blessed old papa ! As if some 
 strange collusion prompted him to play thus per- 
 fectly into the son's hands. 
 
 As for her she would sing, she would dance, 
 she would play, she would do anything to keep 
 Herr Goldman from presuming upon those little 
 familiarities to which, under the circumstances, he 
 doubtless felt himself entitled. She knew that the 
 doctor would not hesitate to take him by the scruff 
 of the neck and shake the life out of him. Ex- 
 .planations would be precipitated at any cost this 
 must be avoided. 
 
 "Ich muss von meinen Bergen scheiden," she 
 sung, that most pathetic, most heart-stirring 
 farewell of the Alpine maid to her beloved moun- 
 tains. With the broad blue sash of the guitar 
 crossing her breast, matching in color the eyes 
 raised above, with fevered red burning in her 
 cheeks, the glossy black of her hair against the 
 white of her brow and neck, she made a most 
 enchanting picture. The anguish of parting was 
 in her voice, and she rang out the yodel with 
 an unrestrained fervor which was the despairing 
 cry of her overladen heart. Herr Goldman hung 
 upon her lips entranced. Heavens ! how she had 
 
296 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 improved. If his mother heard her, the whole 
 world should hear her, people surely would go 
 mad over her. 
 
 " Let who will," said the pastor when she had 
 finished, " cater to his artificial opera airs. Give 
 me the Lied, our dear Volkslied, in which the 
 throb of the nation's heart is heard. Never do I 
 love my fatherland so passionately, or appreciate 
 the pain or suffering of exile so acutely, as when I 
 hear one of these simple songs." 
 
 " Sing me my favorite," begged the Frau Pas- 
 torin, " ' Heart, my heart, why so sad ? ' It never 
 fails to bring the tears to my eyes, and makes me 
 feel sorry for those far away from home. When 
 thou wert in Vienna, dear Fritz, I could not bear 
 to hear it. But now, with thee seated opposite, 
 the sting is removed and only its pathos remains." 
 
 She hesitated a moment. Surely they asked too 
 much of her. This anguished cry of a homesick 
 heart, would not her own echo it, and she break 
 down and lose her painfully acquired self-control ? 
 
 " Hand me your guitar, Jettchen," requested 
 the doctor. " Mamma shall hear me sing it. Let 
 me see if I cannot rival you." 
 
 She took the broad ribbon from off her neck 
 and handed him the instrument. A timid look of 
 gratitude she shot at him from under her lowered 
 lashes. Because of the shade she could not see 
 his eyes. But his mouth smiled, and the warm 
 fingers meeting for a moment hers expressed a 
 world of encouragement and reassurance. He 
 touched the strings, tuning one here, another there. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 297 
 
 He played the prelude, and by that they knew that 
 his was a master touch. Then his voice soared 
 forth, that magnificent, full, sonorous, baritone, 
 making the heartstrings of his listeners vibrate to 
 its exquisite harmony. The tone picture they saw 
 before them : the exile's agonized longing for his 
 mountain home and all it held sacred and dear, 
 the questioning despair, love, sorrow, and grief, 
 until the last where the joy of a final resolve puts 
 all misery at rest. 
 
 " Canst sing like that thou ? " said his mother 
 when the last lingering notes died away. " Nay, 
 what has come over thee? Never have I heard 
 anything like it before." 
 
 He smiled, softly thrumming the strings, " 'T was 
 a great consolation to me," he said, " in my busy 
 life in Vienna. It brought home and all it held 
 dear to me nearer." 
 
 " Thy heart is in thy voice," remarked the pastor, 
 whose eyes were wet ; " one can see thou under- 
 standest the true meaning of our people's Lied." 
 
 The doctor played a short prelude. Then he 
 commenced the beautiful passionate love song, the 
 " Serenade," by Schubert. Softly he began, sub- 
 duing his powerful voice to the most entrancing 
 appeal. The moon, shedding her beams right into 
 the window, stood still for a moment to listen. 
 Surely the sly old thing had heard appeals of the 
 kind ever since the beginning of man, but never 
 one so sweet as this. Jette's soul writhed in agony, 
 her sufferings were almost past endurance. Noise- 
 lessly she arose and stood by the long French win- 
 dow, pressing her aching eyes against the glass. 
 
298 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Zittere Holde nicht," sounded the sweet reas- 
 suring refrain in lingering accents. Herr Gold- 
 man stumped across the room and joined her. 
 
 " Jettchen," he said in low, intense tones, " it 
 was originally my intention to wait with what I 
 have to say until to-morrow. But my love over- 
 whelms me. Long and patiently have I waited for 
 this moment which is to crown my life with the 
 realization of my fondest hopes. You surely anti- 
 cipate what I mean ? " 
 
 She bent her head. Not for her life could she 
 have spoken. 
 
 " The Herr Pastor and the Frau Pastorin have 
 given their most gracious consent. In a month or 
 so from now, God willing, I shall bear you hence 
 as my beloved, adored, idolized wife. You will 
 let me put the betrothal ring on your finger now, 
 here in their presence ? " 
 
 Already he poised the costly glittering thing be- 
 tween his fingers. Taking her hand he led her 
 into their midst. The Herr Pastor and the Frau 
 Pastorin looked up smiling and expectant. The 
 doctor flung the guitar from him so fiercely that 
 the strings broke with a dissonant crash, and rose 
 to his feet. 
 
 " Herr Pastor and you most gracious Frau Pas- 
 torin," said the banker in happy excitement, " we 
 call upon you both to witness our solemn betrothal 
 as my dear, dear beloved is now about to give her 
 consent." 
 
 "Well, Jettchen," said the Herr Pastor with 
 kind encouragement. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 299 
 
 Now she looked up. Like a magnet the doc- 
 tor's eyes drew her gaze to his. Disdain, scorn, 
 contempt blended like lightning in the might of 
 his glance. Back rushed the repressed blood in a 
 torrent to her heart. The pride of the old Castil- 
 ian race, whose last representative she was, tore 
 the fever film from her tortured brain. 
 
 " Put back the ring," she said ; " I can never, 
 never marry you." 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 FOR a moment there was stillness. She had 
 withdrawn her hand from the banker's and held 
 both hers behind her. His mouth half open, the 
 wide, coarse nostrils flapping like wings, he stood 
 as if transfixed to stone. The wide satin cap rib- 
 bons hanging either side of the Frau Pastorin's 
 breast stirred with her agitated breath. The doc- 
 tor's arms were folded across his chest ; his lips 
 relaxed their fierce tension. He came a little 
 nearer to the girl, as if by reaching out his arm 
 he could draw her to him. The Herr Pastor, stern 
 and erect, came forward. 
 
 "What is this?" he demanded. "Why hast 
 thou waited till now to tell us thou wilt not have 
 this man ? " 
 
 " 'T is an unheard-of scandal," cried the Frau 
 Pastorin. Her face was flaming red ; never had 
 her eyes flashed in such anger. " Surely the girl 
 knows not what she says." 
 
300 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " I cannot marry him," she answered, " I cannot. 
 All these years have I striven hard, cheated my- 
 self, tried to believe as others told me, but I could 
 not, could not feel differently towards him. Cast 
 me from your midst, upbraid me, the worst that 
 you can do to me I deserve. Nothing will seem 
 hard, nothing after what I have suffered." 
 
 " Thou dear Heaven ! " cried the Frau Pastorin, 
 exasperated beyond control. " Spoilt thou hast 
 been, indulged till thou art beyond all bounds. 
 Thou suffered ! when thou wert enjoying thyself 
 and others were planning for thy happiness." 
 
 " Now she shall speak," interpolated the pastor 
 sternly, " and take thou heed not to interrupt her. 
 Too long has she been muzzled, it seems." 
 
 " Every one has desired nothing but what was 
 good and best for me," said the girl, raising her 
 imploring eyes to his face. " Only my own fool- 
 ishness has been to blame. I feared to hurt his 
 mother," she inclined her head towards the banker, 
 " I feared to tell the Frau Pastorin, I had not the 
 courage to tell you. I thought when every one 
 was so much wiser than I surely matters would 
 come round of themselves." 
 
 " What hast thou against him ? " inquired the 
 pastor. 
 
 " He is all that is good and kind in himself. I 
 am sorry, sorry to have brought this upon you, 
 sorry that he must hear the truth. I cannot 
 like him. He inspires me with aversion, with 
 horror. More welcome would be a reptile's caress 
 than the touch of his hand. He makes my flesh 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 301 
 
 creep ; my blood turns cold under the look of his 
 
 eyes. From the first, when I knew him, I felt 
 
 this, and the years have but added to it. My 
 
 own cowardice is to blame that I have not told this 
 
 long ago. Forgive me, no one ever asked me, 
 
 all took it for granted that I ought to marry 
 
 him. If only I had known some one to go to to 
 
 - to say what I felt " 
 
 She could not say any more. With a cry like 
 that of a hyena the banker flung himself before 
 her. 
 
 " You shall be mine ! " he screamed. " What 
 matters if you hate me ? Only be mine, marry me. 
 Beat me, scorn me, deride me. Tear me with one 
 hand, I will kiss the other. Father on high ! If 
 any one had told me such love could be rejected ! 
 At your feet will I grovel until you no longer say 
 me nay. Only love me, love me if 'tis ever so 
 little, and let me love you." 
 
 She tried to free her dress from his grasp, but he 
 retained fast hold of it and kept her prisoner there. 
 
 " Have I waited all these years," he shrieked, 
 " fed upon my own vitals, put a powerful restraint 
 upon my feelings, fortified myself with heroic 
 patience to await the coming of this hour, that 
 you should scorn me ? Have you held me off with 
 every device that coyness could invent, and nour- 
 ished my blood with fever dreams, to make a ma- 
 niac of me at last ? Relent," he supplicated ; " not 
 cruel art thou, but cast in nature's fairest mould. 
 Mercy have thou, as I know thy heart prompts 
 thee to. Relent ; be mine, be mine." 
 
302 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 On his knees he dragged himself after her as 
 she tried to escape, still retaining hold of her 
 dress. He cried, he screamed, he tore his hair. 
 
 " I cannot live without thee," he sobbed ; " the 
 fiends in hell would have compassion did they 
 know what I suffer. Tricked, jilted, deceived," he 
 shrieked, clutching his head, and bringing it vio- 
 lently against the floor. " Is it for this I have 
 waited to be made drunk with the weight of 
 your scorn at last ? " 
 
 Some one opened the door behind her. She 
 slipped through and it closed. The doctor placed 
 himself before it. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI 
 
 THE poor Frau Pastorin ! It is to be feared 
 that of all she really suffered the most. Never 
 having to endure a scene of violence, not in her 
 wildest imaginings dreaming such things could be, 
 she was fairly beside herself with consternation 
 to see the well-mannered, suave banker trans- 
 formed into an unreasoning animal. He raved, 
 he cursed, he accused every one present of com- 
 plicity in the shipwrecking of his suit. It re- 
 quired all the doctor's powerful strength to re- 
 strain him from battering in the door and pursuing 
 Jette. He vowed to kill her, to kill himself, to 
 kill everybody. Foaming at the mouth, his eyes 
 rolling, the long finger nails driven into the flesh, 
 his teeth clenched, stumping the length and breadth 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 303 
 
 of the room in wildest frenzy, like an enraged ani- 
 mal in its cage, he was enough to make one's flesh 
 creep the veritable beast stripped bare of all 
 manhood. It was far into the night when, his 
 passion exhausted, he burst into weeping and wail- 
 ing, succeeded by a sullen fury. He wanted to 
 get away from the place, then and there, im- 
 mediately. Not one minute longer would he tarry, 
 he did not care whether the postmaster slept or 
 not, the rustic hind would be sufficiently indem- 
 nified for his loss of rest, an " extra post " he 
 would have on the spot though it cost a king's 
 ransom. He rammed his hat over his eyes, and 
 with a vindictive glare stalked forth into the night, 
 never to be seen any more within those walls 
 where peace and harmony had ever walked hand 
 in hand. It was not long before they heard the 
 rumbling of wheels, the tramping of the postilion's 
 horses, which told that all-powerful gold had for 
 once served the banker in good stead. He was on 
 his road home, and those listening to the fainter- 
 growing sounds of his departure looked at each 
 other in relieved thankfulness. 
 
 But now the calm, the self-contained Frau Pas- 
 torin collapsed, for the first time within the re- 
 collection of anybody, as indeed there had never 
 before been any need. Jette, cowering on the 
 attic stairs, heard her hysterical sobs and tearful 
 exclamations, and quaked with remorse and terror. 
 All night she had crouched there, listening fear- 
 fully to the tempest below. Ceaselessly she re- 
 proached herself it was all her fault never 
 
304 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 would she dare to raise her eyes to any one again. 
 She felt herself an interloper, a thing that would 
 have to creep in and out, shunning people's glances 
 she had upset the whole household. And yet 
 through it all there ran a sense of freedom, an 
 exaltation, which made her breathe without the 
 crushing sense that nearer and nearer her fate was 
 closing in around her. Cautiously she crept down 
 the stairs, and stumbled against the doctor, who, 
 taking flying leaps, three at a time, jostled plump 
 against her. The landing was dark, but he caught 
 hold of her, and gave her a fervent kiss. 
 
 "I want my medicine chest," he said breath- 
 lessly. " Mamma is all upset no wonder that 
 animal pah ! Art so lost without thy shepherd 
 hast to come in search of him, eh ? " He kissed 
 her till she was breathless. " Art a famous girl, 
 thou," he exclaimed exultingly ; " hast the true 
 ring of the steel in thy mettle. The courage to 
 tell the truth that is the grandest courage of 
 all ; and that thou hast it thou hast abundantly 
 proved but now. Art fashioned just after my 
 own heart. Hark, thou dearest. Art no more 
 inclined for sleep than I am, I see. Soon dawn 
 will be breaking, the sun will be up. Then wilt 
 thou go to feed thy doves, and I will help thee. 
 Thou dear, brave, sweet one. Now I will go to 
 soothe mamma. A draught I have here which 
 will bring her round in no time. She will sleep, 
 and awaken calm and refreshed. No, no, thou 
 canst do nothing for her keep out of her way 
 just now leave all to me. Now here is my 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 305 
 
 chest. Up thou goest to plunge thyself in cold 
 water rub vigorously, and see thou puttest on 
 other clothing thou wilt feel like newborn, and 
 never miss the loss of thy night's rest." 
 
 He was down the stairs again in flying leaps, 
 swinging himself over the balustrades when half- 
 way down. Soon he appeared, his mother lying 
 like an infant in his arms, her hands clasped 
 around his neck, her convulsive sobs stilled. The 
 Herr Pastor followed, with a carefully shaded 
 candle, so that its flicker should not fall upon 
 Mammachen's drowsy eyes. Babbett came close 
 behind, lugging the Herr Doctor's medicine chest. 
 She had 110 doubt that it contained nerves and 
 mustard, and all those outlandish things totally 
 unknown in a healthy household. Therefore she 
 eyed it with a great deal of awe, and carried it as 
 gingerly as if she were afraid the nerves and 
 mustard might suddenly jump out and fasten them- 
 selves upon her. A little while longer and the 
 house was wrapped in profound repose. The 
 household would sleep late that day and without 
 fear of undue disturbance. 
 
 Now the sun came forth, vigorously dispersing 
 the cold, gray dawn. It slanted across the face of 
 the girl, who presently stole noiselessly down the 
 stairs. She had done as the doctor told her, 
 brushed out her hair till it glittered with its own 
 sleekness, and now looked as fresh and as fair as 
 if she had just stepped from the embrace of the 
 young god of day himself. She carefully shut 
 the kitchen door, and soon the welcome aroma of 
 
306 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 freshly made coffee rose like incense to the grate- 
 ful nostrils of the doctor, plunging around in his 
 tub. It was not long before he had a cup of 
 the refreshing beverage in his hand, while she 
 cut innumerable tongue sandwiches, for he was 
 hungry enough to eat her, as he declared with 
 rapturous glances into the eyes in which he saw 
 his heaven. He sat on Babbett's immaculate 
 kitchen table, swinging his long legs, gulping 
 down the scalding hot coffee, sugarless, but 
 creamed plentifully, bit off immense pieces of 
 sandwiches, while she sat beside him, quite close, 
 for the table was not very large ; but they did 
 not mind a little crowding, for every bite ho 
 took she had to take one, and he held his cup to 
 her lips and she put hers in exactly the same spot 
 his lips had touched. Occasionally his droll re- 
 marks made her laugh, when he quickly clapped 
 his hand over her mouth, so she should not wake 
 the sleepers, and when she choked he kissed her 
 till she was glad to regain her breath again. 
 
 They went out to feed the pigeons. There was 
 a bench in the shadow of the poultry yard, and 
 there they presently sat down. A dove came and 
 fluttered down on her shoulder. She pursed up 
 her lips, and the pretty creature pecked at them. 
 
 "Dost thou want to make me jealous?" he 
 asked smiling ; " is that thy privileged Giselle ? " 
 
 " Giselle is dead," she said ; " black Peter killed 
 her just before you came, and our Minka killed 
 him. I have no more pets now. 'T is too painful 
 to love them and then to lose them. Never did I 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 307 
 
 see such grief as her mate showed. For days he 
 sat on the dovecote, desolate and alone. A pretty 
 minx of a tumbler pigeon preened her feathers 
 and made up to him. But he would have none of 
 her, and when she renewed the attempt again and 
 again he at last flew away, and has not come back 
 since. Oh, doves can scratch I can tell thee." 
 
 "As thou hast shown, eh? Thou wilt cause 
 me abundance of heartburn, that I foresee. Thou 
 wilt tantalize and plague me and cause me no end 
 of trouble. One is never sure of thee from one 
 minute to the other. Thou wilt want to set up 
 thy will against my own, and it will take all my 
 strength to subdue thee. Thou art angel one 
 moment, vixen the next. But such as thou art, I 
 love thee. No other woman in the world could 
 ever have held me captive so long. I would not 
 have thee different, for always will there be some- 
 thing left in thee to conquer." 
 
 "Fritz," she asked hesitatingly, "thy father 
 and mother are they very angry with me ? " 
 
 " What ! after the nature of the beast revealed 
 itself as it did the night before ? Never will my 
 father be sufficiently thankful for thy escape from 
 such a man. Neither is this all. I have told papa 
 some things which here, in this peaceful seclu- 
 sion, he never dreamt of. I can tell thee I heard 
 enough about the banker while at the university at 
 Bonn. Make thou thy mind easy. Many a poor 
 girl, whom he cajoled with his vile gold, hast thou 
 avenged. There is no man along the Rhine with 
 a worse reputation than he. Nemesis put a fine 
 
308 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 rod in pickle with which to scourge him when she 
 selected thee for the task. The only thing thou 
 art blamed for is that thou didst not come out 
 with the truth long ago. Never mind. Thou 
 creditest me for having put in a good word for 
 thee?" 
 
 She looked at him gratefully, and he kissed the 
 dear eyes lifted to his. 
 
 "Now thou shalt be happy," he said, "and 
 gladden our hearts with thy old-time sportiveness. 
 Papa is only too glad to keep thee among us. A 
 sore trial it would have been to him to miss the 
 ministry of thy hands to his comfort. Mamma 
 may hold thee off a little, but in the end she will 
 come round. Men look at these things very dif- 
 ferently from women. She was so proud in thy 
 prospective greatness. In the end thou hast only 
 exchanged one form of yoke for another. Dost 
 think it will sit very heavily on thee ? " 
 
 She looked down thoughtfully. "There is a 
 great task before me yet, which does not seem to 
 enter into thy reckoning. If the rabbi gives not 
 his consent " 
 
 " That shall be seen to presently ; before I go to 
 Bonn, where I go to establish myself, thou must 
 find out, and set all doubts at rest. There must 
 be an end to all this. I shall take a house oh, 
 I know of a dear, sweet nest, a little removed 
 from the general bustle, where thou and I can be 
 happy, where the prying eyes of others cannot see. 
 There is a garden, where thou canst have thy 
 flowers and lay out thy strawberry and asparagus 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 309 
 
 beds. I will build thee an arbor, over which thou 
 canst train a vine, just like the one we have here. 
 There, in the summer, thou wilt bring me my 
 coffee, and place thyself beside me and put thy 
 arms around my neck, and sweeten my cup with 
 the first sip. Ah! dost not think we shall be 
 happy?" 
 
 He drew her blushing face to his, and blissfully 
 kissed her lips. 
 
 " Tell me," he questioned presently, " if thou 
 hadst not looked at me would st thou have let that 
 man put the ring on thy finger ? " 
 
 " Oh," she ejaculated with passion, " mayst thou 
 never know the extent of suffering I went through 
 the night before. I wrestled with my inclination 
 so fearfully my mind almost gave way. I wanted 
 to do my duty God knows I was sincere enough. 
 There seemed but one way out of this labyrinth 
 to sacrifice myself. At that moment my faculties 
 were numbed ; I seemed to have died and some 
 one else to have taken my place. Thy glance 
 restored me to myself ; what I read there tore 
 the veil from my eyes. Thy love I could have 
 surrendered, but thy contempt I would not 
 have." 
 
 " Dost thou love me ? " he whispered. It was 
 the motif of every one of these delicious stolen 
 interviews. He knew it sufficiently well, but like 
 an insatiable gourmand he could never get enough. 
 She put her cheek against his, and murmured 
 softly as the cooing of a dove between his lips,' " I 
 love thee." 
 
310 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Thus it always was and always will be. Hope 
 unfurls her radiant banner, and we confidently 
 follow as long as it flutters in sight. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII 
 
 " THE owl has built her nest in the eaves of our 
 roof," announced Babbett one morning at break- 
 fast. Babbett had adopted a good many of the 
 Rhineland peasant-folk superstitions, and held signs 
 and omens in religious awe. Where the owl built 
 her nest tradition had it death was sure to invade 
 the household. The Frau Pastorin, like a stanch 
 Pomeranian, had a healthy contempt for these little 
 weaknesses. 
 
 " Well," she inquired sarcastically, " wouldst 
 rather it was the stork ? " The doctor laughed, 
 and the Herr Pastor, looking archly at her, smiled. 
 She had quite recovered her former good humor, 
 though she was still very distant and dignified with 
 Jette. She had kicked her good fortune like a foot- 
 ball, she said, and would surely live to repent it. 
 What did she expect would become of her ? Here 
 she was in the ripe bloom of her youth the only 
 dower she was possessed of. If she did not marry 
 now, good-by to all prospects of a settlement in 
 life. Now she would have to wait wait till 
 some poor man asked her; eventually she would 
 be glad to marry any one. She certainly could 
 not afford the luxury of becoming an old maid. 
 For that one needed money ; surely one had to live. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 311 
 
 The good Frau Pastorin ! She lamented, she 
 prophesied all sorts of terrible things. She de- 
 clared Jette's good looks would be the undoing of 
 her. Such girls, if allowed to pick and choose, 
 generally ended by doing the worst for themselves. 
 And it was for this she had brought her up. It 
 was in her blood her foolish mother had done 
 the same thing. She did not want any gratitude 
 Heaven forbid ! She only wanted the girl to allow 
 herself to be guided a little by those whose com- 
 mon sense she lacked so lamentably herself. In 
 fact Jette was in disgrace, and she surely let her 
 feel it. 
 
 A week had gone by since the banker's last visit 
 which had resulted so disastrously to himself. The 
 doctor had discarded his shade ; he declared his 
 eyes perfectly cured. This went a great way to 
 console the Frau Pastorin, who rejoiced exceed- 
 ingly. In a few days he would go to Bonn to 
 make the necessary arrangements for establishing 
 himself. On his return she made up her mind to 
 speak to him. Surely now he would want a wife 
 to keep house for him. Why did not Thekla come 
 back ? For the last year she had lived with her 
 father in Athens. What interest was there delv- 
 ing after the antiquities of dead arid gone days, 
 when a brand-new joy awaited one? Oh, only 
 let him wait ! matters should be settled now for 
 good and all. 
 
 It was a cheerful sunny morning when Jette 
 started for the little town where the synagogue 
 was situated in which she had worshiped since 
 
312 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 she came to the parsonage. Under the pretense 
 of buying a few necessities for herself and the 
 household, she had readily obtained permission 
 from the Frau Pastorin to go. The doctor was to 
 leave in a day or two, and he had insisted upon 
 some certainty before doing so. He would have 
 preferred to accompany her, but she vehemently 
 disclaimed against the imprudence of such a step. 
 She knew the rabbi, and stood in great awe of him. 
 The doctor was hopeful and sanguine, a state of 
 mind she by no means shared. He watched her 
 graceful, erect figure as, with the dancing, gliding 
 step, so peculiar to her, she was about to disap- 
 pear round the bend in the road. For a minute 
 she stopped, turned her bright face towards him, 
 and blew him a kiss with her arch, happy smile. 
 Then she was gone, and the sunlight went with 
 her. 
 
 How beautiful she was ! Who would not adore 
 her, the innocent light-hearted girl ! What royal 
 dignity there was in the poise of her head ; with 
 what majesty she carried herself ! There was a 
 lightness, an elegance, about her movements which 
 her occasional visits to Cologne had not alone im- 
 parted. The ancient lineage from which she 
 sprung showed plainly in the slight aristocratic 
 hauteur of her manner, mingled with the most 
 gracious cordiality. She was a treasure beyond 
 compare, a pearl without price. There was no 
 other like her, and so the whole world should own. 
 Every one would envy him his good fortune ; peo- 
 ple should feel themselves honored by coming into 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 313 
 
 contact with her. But to very few would he 
 accord the privilege he wanted her for himself 
 alone, to love, to idolize, to cherish. Ah, they would 
 be happy : the angels in heaven should envy them. 
 Who talked about paradise? surely this world 
 was paradise enough. There were a few difficul- 
 ties in the way, of course ; his manhood would be 
 worth very little were he not strong enough to 
 wrestle with them. In the end they would be over- 
 come, and then forward ! march ! straight to the 
 goal. 
 
 Thus mused the doctor, as with his book upside 
 down he sat under the old sycamore-tree awaiting 
 her return. He was happy in anticipating his 
 future happiness. Who shall grudge it him ? Is 
 not the greatest good in life gained this way ? The 
 birds sang, the pure bracing air sent renewed blood 
 with a joyous tingle through the veins. Nature 
 smiled, and her gracious mood was infectious. 
 The dreamy smile on the lover's lips had a portion 
 of heaven in it. He crossed his arms across his 
 chest and closed his eyes. But he still dreamed 
 on. * 
 
 It was not long before Minka came along. The 
 great tabby came in search of her young mistress. 
 She prowled around the doctor, then stretched her 
 full length at his feet. So the two watched and 
 waited. The morning wore on. Soon the mid-day 
 meal would be ready, though to-day it had been 
 set an hour later. The doctor had said he was 
 going to make some botanical researches, and could 
 not be back till then. 
 
314 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 The great cat rose and rubbed herself against 
 the doctor's legs. She purred vigorously, and by 
 that he knew some one was coming. His dreamy 
 content vanished, he started to his feet. He had 
 hardly done so when Jette was upon him. 
 
 But not as she had left him. The happy, joyous 
 expression had fled from her face, her eyes were 
 set and glassy in their despair. His heart fell. 
 He knew before she spoke what had happened. 
 Then a great anger rose within him. Let priests 
 rave as they might interpret the Divine will 
 according to their own perverted intelligence 
 nothing should come between these two whom plainly 
 God had intended for each other. He would have 
 drawn her to him ; but she repulsed him. He 
 knew why she did it, and it increased his wrath 
 to fever heat. 
 
 " Sit thee down," he said, " and rest thyself. 
 Thou hast walked too fast, dearest. See, thou art 
 all overheated." 
 
 " 'T was not half fast enough for the fever of 
 my mind," she exclaimed ; " my feet were like 
 wings, though my heart is turned to stone in my 
 bosom. Fritz, dear Fritz ! it can never, never 
 be." 
 
 She wrung her hands, as if the fingers would 
 crack. Her hot dry eyes looked at him in the 
 most heartrending despair. He set his teeth, 
 and the frown she knew so well the resolute, 
 obstinate frown, when he set his determined 
 will against that of another appeared upon his 
 face. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 315 
 
 " Let me see if my love will not prove stronger 
 than the wiles of priestcraft. Out with it. What 
 did he say?" 
 
 "Just what I foreboded what I told thee 
 from the first. And more. Oh ! if thou could st 
 have heard him. It seems it seems that this un- 
 fortunate story thou knowest about the banker 
 has reached him, and he put his own construc- 
 tion upon it, long before I spoke. Then his anger 
 knew no bounds. He said I was a renegade, an 
 apostate I dare not repeat to thee all. Oh," 
 she cried with an impassioned gesture, " the bare 
 recollection withers me." 
 
 " Fling off this yoke, wash thyself clean of these 
 ragged remnants of a medieval age. See how 
 gloriously the sun shines ! Would God have made 
 it so, that a race of slaves should flourish in its 
 benignant rays ? " 
 
 " Thy father taught me to respect my religion ; 
 more scrupulous was he in exacting its require- 
 ments than if I had grown up in the midst of its 
 adherents. I reverence, I worship it. Wouldst 
 thou have me fling his own teachings in his face ? 
 Then, indeed, the world were turned upside down, 
 and I lost in it." 
 
 " Thou art enlightened enough to see as I do. 
 If there is aught in thy religion which cannot 
 reconcile itself with thy love, then indeed the spirit 
 of the Almighty is not in it. Above all things 
 did he want that we should love one another. If 
 there is crime in that, be the consequences on my 
 head not on thine. Be thyself strong in the 
 
316 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 might of thy own heart. Wilt thoti not find com- 
 pensation in my love for thee ? " 
 
 "Dearest, best beloved," she sobbed, " I cannot 
 drag thee down to ruin. The world will scorn 
 thee for marrying the banned Jewess. I will be 
 thy handmaid thy slave do with me as thou 
 wilt but I cannot, cannot marry thee." 
 
 So this whole miserable business would have to 
 be gone over again. He clenched his hands, his 
 brow darkened. 
 
 " I will not have thee mar thy fair cheeks with 
 these bitter drops," he said fiercely ; " they sear the 
 heart and leave it scarred. Heavy indeed is the 
 task thou settest me the stanchest heart might 
 well break under it. A way there must be found 
 out of this the quickest dispatch cannot be 
 quick enough to end this wear and tear of sus- 
 pense. I thought to take a light heart with me, 
 that hope might guide my endeavors. The day 
 after to-morrow I depart, and fear not but while 
 I am gone there shall be found a final settlement 
 to this question. Now sit thee down and compose 
 thyself. I care not how soon my parents will 
 know of this indeed they shall be approached 
 very soon but mamma is not quite strong yet ; 
 she would be upset all over again." 
 
 He kissed the tears from her face, and breathing 
 upon his handkerchief, gently dabbed her eyes 
 with it to eradicate the telltale traces. But his 
 brow was moody and stern he did not sinile 
 again 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 317 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII 
 
 " THERE is sickness at the Wildhof," said the 
 Frau Pastorin. " Hans's wife is down with gastric 
 fever I must go and see her. Pack thou a 
 basket with wine and jellies, Babbett. Right 
 after dinner we will start." 
 
 " May I not go with you ? " asked Jette 
 timidly. 
 
 " No," said the Frau Pastorin curtly ; " I pre- 
 fer Babbett to come along. Thou canst prepare 
 the evening meal, so it will be ready when we come 
 back." 
 
 Babbett grumbled at the long walk, for her 
 poor old legs were not as supple as they used to 
 be, and she would very much rather Jette had 
 gone. But Jette was not out of disgrace yet, and 
 the Frau Pastorin lost no opportunity in letting 
 her feel it. So she stayed behind, and watched 
 them sadly as they went down the hill towards the 
 Wildhof. The doctor had gone, and the void lay 
 heavy on her heart. He was the sum and sub- 
 stance of her happiness ; that she knew now. 
 Without his strong arm to guide her she would 
 drop by the wayside. What terrible destiny was 
 that, which had flung her in his very path, just to 
 show her how perfect life could be, and then to 
 mock her by withholding the cup, placed so tempt- 
 ingly to her lips. Dark and dreary the vista of 
 her days stretched, like an arid waste before her, 
 with never an oasis in sight. But he, he would 
 
318 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 not submit to it. Her heart quaked as she ac- 
 knowledged to herself that against his strong 
 aggressive will she could not hold out forever ; 
 either she would perish or further she dared 
 not think. 
 
 She gave the Herr Pastor his coffee when he 
 woke up from his nap, and brought him his long- 
 stemmed Fatherland pipe. The large china bowl 
 she cleaned out carefully, and placed the pretty 
 chamois tobacco-bag she had embroidered for him 
 within his easy reach. Everything she did was 
 gracious and sweet, " just like herself," the Herr 
 Pastor thought. He took a fond pleasure in 
 watching her hands twinkle like white asters in 
 and out among the china cups. When she in- 
 clined her head a little to one side, looking up at 
 him with her eyes of pansy blue, and asked the cus- 
 tomary question " More cream ? " he beamed upon 
 her so brightly that the tears rose to her eyes. It 
 was as if the doctor looked at her, the same keen, 
 penetrating, but velvety soft brown eyes those 
 dear eyes she loved so well. Dear, good old man I 
 never had he had any but kind, cheerful words for 
 her ; his admonitions had been benedictions. And 
 she was deceiving him sorrow and tribulation 
 was she about to bring to his whitening hairs. 
 What would he say? Would he not curse the 
 day he had carried her in his arms to his home 
 that home she had already profaned with her 
 deceit ? 
 
 It was already quite dark when at length the 
 Frau Pastorin and Babbett were descried in the 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 319 
 
 distance, wearily trudging along. Jette flew to 
 meet them, took the empty basket from Babbett, 
 and offered her sturdy young shoulder to the Frau 
 Pastorin to lean upon. The latter ungraciously 
 availed herself of it she seemed thoroughly tired 
 out. But as soon as the Herr Pastor came up, 
 whose step was not quite as agile as the young 
 girl's, she took her hand off her shoulder and 
 slipped it through his arm. 
 
 " Those at the Wildhof should not have allowed 
 thee to walk back," he said ; " 't was far too much 
 for thee to trudge both ways." 
 
 "There is work enough at the Wildhof," she 
 replied, " without my adding to it. The mistress 
 is far worse than the nature of the illness would 
 warrant. Two of the children are down since last 
 night. Hans is in terror the illness might spread 
 throughout the household. I did what I could for 
 them, but that was not much. 'T would be best 
 if he got one of the Sisters from the convent at 
 Neustadt to properly care for them. He promised 
 he would do it, if they did not mend soon." 
 
 " I must go over to-morrow," observed the pas- 
 tor anxiously ; " indeed I had no idea the sickness 
 would spread. Of course they must have proper 
 care : without it they cannot get better. Hans is 
 not a poor man ; he can very well afford to have 
 his family properly looked after. I will rub it 
 into him, never fear." 
 
 " May I go ? " begged Jette. " I know the ways 
 of the Wildhof well ; I could be of some use until 
 somebody comes." 
 
320 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Thou 'It do nothing of the kind," said the 
 Herr Pastor with decision ; " the young take infec- 
 tion far more easily than older people. I only 
 hope that mamma and our good Babbett have 
 taken no harm." 
 
 " Nonsense," said the Frau Pastorin ; " never 
 since my infant days have I had an illness, neither 
 has Babbett as far as I know. What sayest thou, 
 Babbett ; we are far too well seasoned to begin in 
 our old age, eh ? " 
 
 She laughed, and sank gratefully into her large 
 easy-chair when they reached the sitting-room. 
 Jette would have removed her bonnet and silk 
 scarf, but she repulsed her, and let the Herr Pastor 
 do it. 
 
 " Now I want nothing but something to drink," 
 she said, " and then I will go to bed. Thou canst 
 look after things to-night, Henriette ; let Babbett 
 rest herself. Thou dear Heaven ! A few years 
 since I could have walked twice the distance and 
 gone to a ball afterwards. Surely I must be grow- 
 ing old." 
 
 Slowly she went up the stairs, affectionately 
 leaning upon her husband. Five, six days went 
 by then a special messenger was hastily dis- 
 patched to Bonn. The Frau Pastorin and Bab- 
 bett had taken the fever. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 321 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV 
 
 Now it was that Jette in some measure repaid 
 the love and care that had been lavished upon her. 
 Alert, vigilant, ever on the watch, her noiseless 
 footfall went to and fro between the sick-beds. 
 It was not long before the pastor was stricken. 
 The doctor pronounced it an especially virulent 
 form of typhoid, and inveighed against the stupid- 
 ity of the local physician, who, under the guise of 
 gastric fever, had allowed the sickness to spread. 
 Soon over the whole village the dark angel of 
 death stalked abroad. Day and night the tall 
 erect form of the doctor could be seen going from 
 one house to another. People kissed his hands 
 and dropped many a tear upon them, for he car- 
 ried consolation and comfort wherever he went. 
 All the time he could snatch from his own beloved 
 ones he devoted to others, for he knew he left 
 them in good hands. For three weeks, night and 
 day, neither he nor the girl who watched at home 
 had time to change their clothing. And with it 
 all, she was concerned for his comfort, always had 
 the nourishment ready with which it was necessary 
 to keep up his strength. His efforts to get some 
 sort of help for her proved unavailing. Scarcely 
 a household was there that was not stricken, and 
 the Sisters at the convent had their hands full 
 among the poor. Every morning and night he 
 anxiously scanned his faithful nurse, but she had 
 the whole capital of her young untried strength 
 
322 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 to draw upon, and she did it unsparingly. The 
 healthy, vigorous blood in her veins withstood the 
 fierce onslaught of the dread disease, and as if 
 daunted by her fearless courage it reluctantly 
 passed her by. Reluctantly, it seems ; for one 
 morning, when all were out of danger and on a 
 fair road to recovery, the doctor, after drawing 
 her into the light and anxiously looking at her as 
 usual, peremptorily ordered her off to bed. 
 
 " Go thou," he said, " this instant. Sleep ; do 
 not be in haste to rise. Strip off thy clothing and 
 instantly to bed. Sleep the whole day. I will 
 take thy place and not stir hence until thou comest 
 back." 
 
 But she demurred. " Thou art in worse need 
 of rest than I," she said; "go thou first. To- 
 morrow " 
 
 " Wilt thou do as I tell thee ? " he commanded. 
 " What will become of our dear ones if thou also 
 succumbest? What will become of me with the 
 additional burden of thee flung upon my hands ? " 
 
 This convinced her, and she went. Faint and 
 dizzy she felt, her throat was parched and hot. 
 She stopped for a moment on the landing and 
 looked out upon the Frau Pastorin's flower-garden. 
 Desolate and neglected it looked, the trim, neatly 
 kept beds overrun with rank weeds. Scarcely a 
 flower could be seen, and those which did rear a 
 drooping head looked miserable and forlorn. This 
 sight she could not bear. Swiftly, with her noise- 
 less footfall, she ran down the stairs, opened the 
 kitchen door, and slipped out. The sun was hot, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 323 
 
 though it was already September. She snatched 
 the kerchief from her shoulders, flung it over her 
 head, and commenced to work as if for a wager. 
 She never heeded how the time went, but with the 
 heat and the haste the perspiration streamed down 
 her body, drenching every particle of her cloth- 
 ing as if she were dipped in the brook. And as 
 soon as one bed was cleared she fetched water 
 from the pump and sprinkled her beloved rescued, 
 first gently, then generously, until they laughed in 
 the sun, invigorated and refreshed. Her haste 
 was so great that her breath came in quick gasps, 
 and ever faster she worked until the afternoon sun 
 looked in at the west window. Then she staggered 
 to her feet, her limbs were stiff from crouching 
 down so long, but the work was done. Proudly, 
 as never victorious general surveyed a vanquished 
 battlefield, did she look down at the heaps of up- 
 rooted weeds at her feet, at the fair smiling garden, 
 and she laughed with content. Then she remem- 
 bered the doctor, what would he say if he found 
 out how she had obeyed him ? Hot, perspiring, 
 begrimed, she yet felt happy; the lassitude which 
 made her limbs feel like lead had given way to a 
 springy elasticity, her throat felt dusty, but 110 
 longer parched. She would go and rub herself 
 well down, make herself clean and sweet with 
 much needed fresh clothing, and above all eat 
 something, for she felt an appetite as ferocious as 
 the traditional plough-boy's. Upstairs on the land- 
 ing she came face to face with the doctor. 
 
 " Father in heaven ! " he ejaculated, and could 
 
324 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 say no more. He stared at her, her grimy, per- 
 spiring face, her disheveled hair. "What hast 
 thou done? " he said. 
 
 She drew him to the window, and pointed to the 
 garden. A low, happy laugh came from her lips. 
 
 " Does it not look beautiful ? Now thy mother's 
 eyes will not be offended when she sits up and 
 looks out of the window. Dost see the heap of 
 weeds ? I wanted to cart them away, but I feared 
 it would take too long. I am so hungry I could 
 gnaw the banisters." 
 
 " Hast been down there all day ? " he asked, 
 "and hast got thyself in this state from overwork? 
 Thou hast not a dry thread on thee. Hasten, 
 hasten, all thou canst to put dry clothing on thee. 
 If thou art not down again very soon I will come 
 up to thee." 
 
 But he smiled, and there was a look of ineffable 
 happiness on his face when afterwards he said to 
 her, " 'T was the wisest thing thou couldst have 
 done. The fever was about to grip thee, but the 
 plentiful perspiration carried the poison away from 
 thee. Thank God for- the lucky impulse. But no 
 more must thou disobey me. Matters may not 
 turn out so luckily next time." 
 
 CHAPTER XLV 
 
 THE Herr Pastor was now quite convalescent, 
 and Babbett commenced to go a little about the 
 house again. It was Jette's task to nourish the 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 325 
 
 fever-drained veins with all sorts of strengthening 
 dainties, which had to be doled out very carefully. 
 The Frau Pastorin's recovery was not so very 
 rapid, as her craving for food was insatiable, and 
 in spite of the utmost vigilance she often contrived 
 to abstract little portions from Babbett's or the 
 Herr Pastor's plate, which considerably retarded 
 her recovery. The doctor enjoined upon Jette 
 the absolute necessity of carrying the key to the 
 pantry and the meat-safe continually about her 
 person, as a relapse into her former condition 
 might prove fatal to his mother. He implored 
 her to restrain herself for a little, just a little 
 while longer, until it was safe to indulge in a gen- 
 erous diet again. The gentle old pastor and poor 
 old Babbett were tractable enough. The former 
 was well aware that the chief danger of a typhoid- 
 recovered patient lay in overeating. And as for 
 Babbett, she looked upon the doctor as an inspired 
 being, whose word was no more to be doubted 
 than that of the gospel itself. But the Frau Pas- 
 torin was as irritable and irrational a patient as 
 ever tried the patience of doctor and nurse. To 
 her son she listened in rebellious silence, but all 
 the vials of her wrath she emptied upon Jette. 
 She called her a deceitful, double-dealing, under- 
 handed traitress, who aimed at taking the upper 
 hand in everything. What, was she not mistress 
 in her own house ! Immediately, this instant, let 
 the keys be given up to her. She demanded to 
 see Babbett, and when the old woman hobbled up, 
 commanded her to take charge of the pantry as 
 
326 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 usual, and bring her mistress something, anything, 
 no matter what, to eat. When the maid declared 
 it was against the Herr Doctor's orders, she be- 
 came almost ferocious in being balked in her desire 
 for food. She cried, she implored, she upbraided 
 Jette for wanting to starve her, so that she could 
 become mistress of the parsonage. It was very 
 hard to remain steadfast under these trying cir- 
 cumstances, especially as she had to battle alone, 
 the doctor having been obliged to attend a very 
 important consultation in Bonn. She herself had 
 urged him to go. The two other convalescents 
 gave her no trouble, and as for his mother, she 
 felt herself strong enough to bear her reproaches, 
 providing she made fair progress towards recovery. 
 The little sleep Jette could indulge in at night 
 was always deep and sound, as her duties were 
 very trying and harassing. She still occupied the 
 couch in the Frau Pastorin's room. Till the 
 doctor's return she would not leave her alone at 
 night. The large, old-fashioned mahogany bed- 
 stead, with its fantastic carving, and piled high 
 with the swelling feather bed, stood in the middle 
 of the airy, well ventilated room. On a little table 
 near by a rushlight burnt dimly, shrouding the 
 corners in ghostly gloom. That the keys of the 
 pantry and storeroom should be in safe keeping 
 both day and night, Jette wore them fastened to a 
 ribbon around her neck. One night she thought 
 she felt a fumbling at her nightgown, but as it was 
 only the drowsy feeling of half-consciousness, she 
 still slept on. Of a sudden she sat up and lis- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 327 
 
 tened. She looked towards the bed. The swelling 
 down cover was just as she had arranged it around 
 the invalid, before retiring herself. Minka came 
 with tail erect and tiptoed towards the door. 
 With a rush Jette flung off the bedclothes. The 
 intelligent animal had never once left the sick- 
 room, and whenever Jette had been obliged to 
 leave it for a moment, she had always scratched at 
 the door and mewed as soon as any of the invalids 
 stirred. Now it was slightly open she leaped 
 towards the bed it was empty. Her hand went 
 up to her neck the ribbon was there, but the 
 keys were gone. 
 
 The girl seized the light and bounded down the 
 stairs. The kitchen door was wide open, but the 
 door of the pantry was shut. She tried the handle 
 it was locked. Through the chinks streamed 
 the faint flicker of a candle low murmurings 
 mixed with laughter came from within. 
 
 " Open," she said ; " if you believe there is a 
 God above you, open. You shall have all you 
 want only open for the sake of your dear ones." 
 
 " Aha," laughed the Frau Pastorin ; " art over- 
 ready, now I have outwitted thee. Certainly I will 
 open, in my own good time. If thou couldst only 
 see how I am feasting. Art a generous provider, 
 thou. Aha, aha ! not until, like the vampire, I 
 have glutted and glutted again, will I come forth, 
 though the night wind blows chilly, and I was in 
 such haste to get down I would not stop to throw 
 anything over me." 
 
 The girl flung herself against the door. It was 
 
328 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 stout and durable, and would not yield. She 
 dared not rouse the rest of the household : in the 
 chill night air they would get their deaths. By 
 the time she summoned help from without the 
 mischief would be done as probably it already 
 was now. Again and again she hurled herself 
 against the door ; her shoulder bled, her body was 
 bruised from head to foot. She begged, she prayed, 
 she implored. 
 
 " Alas," she said, " have you no regard for 
 your son ? Think of the terrible work you are 
 preparing for him anew. Now all will have to be 
 fought over again, worse, far worse, than before. 
 If you want to live," she cried in anguish, " open 
 the door. You have flung yourself into your grave, 
 and you do not know it." 
 
 " Not because thou biddest me will I open," 
 said the Frau Pastorin, " but because I am glutted 
 full." 
 
 She turned the key and threw back the door. 
 There she stood in her long chemise and night- 
 jacket. It had been necessary to shave off her 
 plentiful fair hair, and she looked grotesque and 
 horrible in the extreme, with her frilled nightcap 
 askew on her bare skull. She shivered so her 
 teeth rattled in her head. But she looked at the 
 girl in mingled triumph and gratified malice. 
 
 " That was a royal meal," she said ; " now thou 
 canst do what thou likest. I feel as if I had satis- 
 fied my appetite for all time to come." 
 
 Jette's sobs were so heartrending she could 
 hardly hurry the unfortunate woman up the stairs. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 329 
 
 The doctor had left ample directions with her in 
 case of anything unforeseen happening. But any- 
 thing like this had of course never entered into 
 his calculation. Hurriedly and swiftly the girl 
 did what her own good sense and the means at 
 hand prompted her to do. Then she flung a warm 
 wadded gown over herself, thrust her bare feet into 
 slippers, locked the door from the outside, and sped 
 down the village street to rouse the postmaster. 
 A special mounted messenger was to start for 
 Bonn immediately, without once drawing rein until 
 he had put the note she now hastily scribbled into 
 Herr Dr. von Feldern's own hand. Then she flew 
 back to the house and up to the sick-room. The 
 Frau Pastorin lay exactly as she had left her. 
 Only now she was burning hot, and her tongue 
 heavy with the mutterings of delirium. 
 
 Late the following night an " extra post," the 
 postilion's horses covered with foam, dashed up to 
 the parsonage door. The doctor came not alone ; 
 
 he brought Professor von B , the most noted 
 
 medical expert along the Rhine and lecturer at the 
 Bonn University, with him. They immediately 
 ascended to the sick-room. One glance they gave 
 at the patient, then their eyes met. The same 
 look was in both. The Frau Pastorin was past 
 all help : no skill on earth could save her. 
 
 More as a matter of form and in deference to 
 his distinguished colleague, the eminent professor 
 examined the patient, looked at the medicines, 
 asked some questions as to what brought on this 
 dangerous relapse, looked professionally important, 
 
330 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 and gravely retired with the doctor into the adjoin- 
 ing room, where they conferred long in low, hushed 
 tones. Then they went downstairs together, the 
 eminent professor stepped into the waiting post- 
 chaise, sympathetically pressed his distinguished 
 colleague's hand, and turned his face homeward, 
 leaving sorrow and grief behind him. 
 
 The news that the Frau Pastorin was hardly 
 likely to survive the night had to be broken to the 
 Herr Pastor. There was no one but the son to do 
 it. When the father looked upon his ashen face 
 and trembling lips, there was no need of telling. 
 The fiat had gone forth : the loving, lovable, cher- 
 ished companion who had sweetened life's journey 
 for him for the last twenty-eight years was about 
 to leave him solitary and alone. He bowed his 
 whitened head, but not quite yet in submission. 
 The recent severe illness had left him weak. 
 
 He knelt beside the bed, there where the candle's 
 faint light lit up the beloved face in the strongest 
 relief. The son sat at the other side, holding the 
 dear, dear hand which had ever lovingly caressed 
 him, watching the flickering pulse, his ear anxiously 
 strained to catch her breathing. Babbett knelt at 
 the foot of the bed, and incessantly prayed under 
 her breath. Jette, her face rigid in despair, leaned 
 against the head of the couch, her fingers mechan- 
 ically interlacing each other. She was in an agony 
 of remorse and self-reproach yet she was per- 
 fectly blameless for what had happened. She had 
 never witnessed a death-bed she trembled with 
 awe as nearer and nearer approached the Great 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 331 
 
 Unknown. Minka crouched at the feet of her 
 dying mistress and would not be driven away. 
 Her great eyes gleamed, her fur stood on end. 
 
 All night long they watched. Towards morn- 
 ing the Frati Pastorin, who had lain all the time 
 in a stupor, suddenly spoke. 
 
 " My poor Jette," she said, " thou canst not toil 
 up the mountain alone. Give me thy hand, I will 
 help thee." 
 
 Her voice was perfectly strong, but it had a 
 strange sound, as if spoken in the far distance. 
 Babbett gave a terrified start and looked towards 
 the girl. 
 
 " She is calling thee," she said in a low, trem- 
 bling whisper. " The end of the woe is not yet." 
 
 Jette was so intensely moved she hardly could 
 stand. For the first time in her life the dying 
 woman called her by the name she was generally 
 known by. It was startling, just as her spirit 
 hovered already on the border-land ! Whether it 
 similarly affected the rest in that grief-stricken 
 hour is hard to tell. But the doctor stretched' out 
 his hand and clasped her hand ; and so she stood 
 beside him till the end. 
 
 When the first faint gray of dawn streaked the 
 darkened sky, it came. A bright sunbeam, just 
 darting into life, caught up her spirit and winged 
 it up to her God. 
 
332 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 CHAPTEE XL VI 
 
 THE same cause which had resulted in the Frau 
 Pastorin's death kept the fever raging in the vil- 
 lage. The convalescent patients were imprudent, 
 or their attendants did not restrain them suffi- 
 ciently in their craving for food. There were con- 
 tinual relapses, which almost always ended fatally. 
 It was felt at the parsonage that, unless matters 
 were taken hold of with a strong hand, this awful 
 state of affairs might be prolonged indefinitely. 
 The white-haired pastor, leaning on his staff, went 
 forth to exhort, to admonish, to comfort his peo- 
 ple. No consideration for himself deterred him. 
 The beloved partner of his life was gone ; his 
 own sun had set. But what remained of vitality 
 and strength he was glad to expend in the wel- 
 fare of others. It was a welcome opportunity to 
 smother his own grief. The doctor sacrificed his 
 own interests at Bonn in his determined efforts to 
 stamp out the dread disease in his native place. 
 Only one there was for whose safety he trembled. 
 But she seemed to bear a charmed life. She went 
 from one fever-stricken house to another, indefat- 
 igable in her exhaustless young strength to sec- 
 ond his efforts. Long years after, when the his- 
 tory of her life had passed into a reminiscence, 
 hoary-headed grandfathers told the story of her 
 angelic devotion to the little prattlers on their 
 knees, ever in whispers, throwing many an awe- 
 struck glance behind them, as, indeed, they had 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 333 
 
 good reason to do. And so by the grace of God, 
 who surely had imbued these three earnest souls 
 with a portion of His own divine spirit, the mena- 
 cing spectre, stalking abroad, was finally exorcised 
 and laid. 
 
 Lieschen, sweet little Lieschen, was one of the 
 last to be stricken. The ugly, useless lump of 
 flesh calling itself her mother was beside herself 
 with terror. Strangely enough, sloth and sloven 
 though she was, the fever till now had passed her 
 household by. Now she trembled with terror for 
 her own life, and could not be induced to go near 
 the child. It was Jette who hung over the little 
 crib, kept the covering over the restless limbs, and 
 did grim battle with the fell destroyer, hovering 
 for many days dangerously near. The great hulk- 
 ing lout of a father sat always at the other side of 
 the bed, his dry, grief-stricken eyes fastened upon 
 the sufferer's face. He was as grateful as a dog if 
 allowed to do her the least service ; his lumbering 
 step was hushed, the touch of his clumsy hand as 
 gentle as that of love. Never devotee watched the 
 lips of his oracle as eagerly as Lieschen's father 
 those of the doctor. He came often, for between 
 himself and the devoted nurse there was a fixed 
 determination to save the life of the sweet darling, 
 provided human skill could do it. Everybody pre- 
 dicted that now surely the child would die. And 
 as on so many former, though far less perilous oc- 
 casions, the little one put the discomfited prophets 
 to rout by pulling through gloriously. Well, they 
 said, it was surely unheard of. Now, indeed, a 
 
334 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 tragic end was in store for her. It would have 
 been better had she peaceably gone then. 
 
 When the child was quite well and out of 
 danger, Gret came back. She made a great out- 
 cry about her poor blessed darling, volubly took 
 charge of her herself, and with a great deal of 
 effrontery and impudent brag, claimed the credit 
 of her recovery. Doctor and nurse smiled quietly 
 at each other, and gave all further necessary direc- 
 tions to the father. Between his long anxious 
 watch and the uproar of his wife's return, he 
 was too bewildered to upbraid her. However, they 
 could depend upon his dog-like devotion to pre- 
 vent harm to his recovered daughter. 
 
 Therefore as from chaos order is evolved, so 
 matters fell into their usual routine again. With 
 the old year the fever fled and was heard of no 
 more. In some houses there was mourning, in 
 others rejoicing. 'Tis the unalterable trend of 
 fate, and will be so to the last. At the parsonage 
 a great quiet reigned. The poignancy of the first 
 grief had been swallowed up in the anxiety for the 
 common weal ; now that this was ended, lassitude 
 weighed down the spirits of its inmates. The void 
 in their hearts was in keeping with that in the 
 house. With trembling lips the Herr Pastor looked 
 at the empty chair beside his own. Sometimes 
 he would pass his hand over the arms, stretching 
 themselves into empty space, with a loving, linger- 
 ing touch, as if she were there, and smiled back at 
 him with her clear, truthful eyes. Babbett slunk 
 about with lagging steps. The mistress whom she 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 335 
 
 had romped with in childhood, accompanied to the 
 altar, and left home to serve, lay at rest in the 
 little churchyard over yonder, where the hill dipped 
 gently towards the horizon. The faithful old peas- 
 ant woman could not rally from the shock. Her 
 strength would not come back. Sadly she went 
 about the house, glad that younger, more vigorous 
 hands relieved her of most of its duties. 
 
 The doctor went back to his busy life at Bonn. 
 Often he wrote to the lonely white-haired father 
 at home, whose sole prop and comfort he now was. 
 As often as he could he came. Hurried, flying- 
 visits they necessarily were, but upon the loved 
 ones at home they acted like an exhilarating tonic. 
 The life and stirring buoyancy of the outer world 
 he brought with him ; his manner, though still sub- 
 dued, inspired them with hope and courage. The 
 dreary winter passed, and a most glorious spring, 
 with floods of sunshine and the happy song of 
 birds, rejoiced sorrowing hearts once more. Dear 
 mother Nature kissed the brow of her sorrowing 
 children, and chased away what there was of grief 
 and troubled thought with her loving maternal 
 touch. Now one could live out of doors again; 
 field, orchard, and garden resounded to the merry 
 crunch of the plough, and the cheerful tingle of the 
 cow-bell was heard once more. The Herr Pastor 
 armed himself with spade and shovel, and stole 
 forth to the grave of his dear one, and made of it 
 a bed of glorious fragrance. Nowhere did roses, 
 mignonette, and violets bloom in more luxurious 
 sweetness. Jette, seeing him thus occupied, let 
 
336 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 him alone. He was jealous of the least interfer- 
 ence; no one should touch anything on that be- 
 loved resting-place but himself. "No one," he 
 declared. " But when I lie beside her and share 
 her last long sleep, then thou mayest come and 
 plant a rosebush on my grave. I shall know thy 
 footfall and rejoice that it is thy hands which tend 
 me as lovingly in death as they have done in life. 
 Surely a kind fate brought thee to my door, that 
 thou mightest be the comfort of my old age. 
 What now should I do without thee ? " 
 
 The tears were in her eyes as she took the staff 
 from his weary hands and knelt down to unbutton 
 his gaiters. Formerly he would not allow her to 
 do it, but insisted she should call Babbett. 
 
 " Babbett is old," she protested; "her back is 
 stiff and her hands tremble. Grief-stricken and 
 work-worn she is, and now she shall rest. What 
 comes hard to her is most loving servitude to me. 
 Let me have the privilege, and say no more about 
 it." 
 
 " How like the dear mamma thou art," he re- 
 marked, smiling. " In all thy manners and ways 
 dost thou remind me of her. Most peremptory in 
 her loving solicitude, she was always careful for 
 the comfort of others, herself a delight to the eye, 
 with a gift to impart, with a touch here and a 
 touch there, creating the order and neatness which 
 is the soul of a household and brings harmony to 
 the weary mind and rest to the tired limbs." 
 
 He took his coffee from her hand, and gulped it 
 slowly with dreamy contentment. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 337 
 
 " Everything," he said, " is as it always was, 
 everything. Only she is gone." 
 
 So it was all the time. Never could he forget 
 her. Not once was she ever absent from his mind. 
 
 " Thou art treading exactly in her footsteps," 
 he continued. " It would rejoice her to see how 
 good and useful thou hast become. But thou must 
 not do overmuch. Of late I have fancied thou 
 art not as light-hearted as thou hast a right to be. 
 Thy cheek is not as blooming as at thy age it 
 should be. Be merry, my child. Sing, laugh, as 
 is thy birthright. 'T was always music in my 
 ears, and like the praise of the lark 't will be a 
 welcome sound now. The roses bloom for thee 
 now, and thou must haste and pluck them before 
 they fade." 
 
 But it was not grief for the death of the Frau 
 Pastorin alone which kept Jette quiet and sub- 
 dued. Despair lay heavy on her heart. The fu- 
 ture held no more brightness for her ; she seemed 
 to be groping about in the dark, without any pro- 
 spect of reaching the light. The end of the sum- 
 mer had come ; September, with its fulfillment of 
 golden promise, was at the door. A few weeks 
 would see the end of the first year of mourning. 
 During all this time the doctor had not spoken one 
 word of love to her, yet his eyes, hanging upon her 
 every movement with a lover's rapture, told her 
 plainly enough that his heart was hers, unaltera- 
 bly and forever. 
 
 At the end of the month he came on one of his 
 short flying visits. Dr. von Feldern was a very 
 
338 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 busy man now, with a large, growing practice which 
 the reputation preceding him had very materially 
 assisted to build up. Besides this, people liked 
 him exceedingly ; which was not to be wondered 
 at, as the first requisite of a physician is plenty of 
 personal magnetism, a manner thoroughly sure of 
 its subject, and these Dr. von Feldern possessed 
 in a very marked degree. Then he was so full of 
 pulsing, buoyant life ; there was a grandeur in his 
 superabundant vitality and strength, so that the 
 first thought of a patient, no matter how depressed 
 with illness, on seeing him was, " Surely in the 
 presence of so much life I cannot die." The clasp 
 of his hand on a patient's wrist sent a stream of 
 renewed vitality through his perished veins, com- 
 forting him with the assurance that he would re- 
 cover, and this, no one will deny, is a first and 
 very important step towards convalescence. 
 
 The doctor had the faculty of inspiring every 
 one with complete confidence in himself. Argu- 
 ments, however plausibly built up beforehand, fell 
 to pieces before his vigorous, aggressive onslaught. 
 One glance of his keen eye demolished more men- 
 tal calculations than one could build up in a year. 
 Against his strength and sound common sense there 
 was no appeal. What the mind yet cherished of 
 rebellion, the heart was unable to support. His 
 irresistible charm of manner, his bright, joyous 
 spirit, fascinated and subdued all. 
 
 Jette often thought sadly how enviable indeed 
 her lot would be did no impediment stand in the 
 way to unite her life with his. The world over, 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 339 
 
 there were very few men like him in her esti- 
 mation none. Like a giant, he towered high 
 above a puny race, great alike in his strength and 
 his humility. Not a bit was he vain or conceited, 
 a child was not more perfect in its simplicity. 
 The adulation showered upon him he took as a 
 matter of course, never caring whence it came so 
 long as he was successful in what he undertook to 
 do. With military precision he marched to the 
 post of duty, allowing no difficulties to stand in 
 the way. There was something to be done and 
 he did it. 
 
 On a balmy, soft September morning, when sum- 
 mer joys still lingered in the air, he strolled out 
 into the garden, which had been his mother's, to 
 seek her. Most religiously was it kept in order ; 
 the rosebushes glowed in luxurious splendor, the 
 rosemary and jasmine she had so loved were 
 trained high against the south paling. Every- 
 thing she had ever touched or cared for was most 
 assiduously cherished, in pious memory. From 
 early morning to sundown, the girl busied herself 
 in keeping everything exactly as the inmates of 
 the parsonage were accustomed to from their earli- 
 est recollections. He came upon her where she 
 stood close to the bed of pansies, where every 
 variety grew in fragrant profusion. 
 
 " Stiefrnu'tterchen," he said, breaking one of the 
 velvety darkest. He held it up to her eyes, but 
 she dropped them with a vivid blush. 
 
 " Just as if Herr von Czechy had said it," she 
 laughed. 
 
340 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Herr von Czechy, indeed ! what has he to do 
 with thine eyes ? They belong to me. Whoever 
 else makes comparisons commits high treason, and 
 that they shall find quickly enough." 
 
 " Thou didst not always think so," she remarked 
 slyly. " I might pass my days in banishment at 
 the Wildhof yet hadst thou not accidentally " 
 
 He caught her round the neck and smothered 
 the saucy mouth with kisses. Indeed, continually 
 he kissed, and kissed again, until forced to stop 
 for sheer want of breath. 
 
 " There," he exclaimed, " now have I broken my 
 long fast at last. Oh, thou dear, sweet angelic 
 one, thou ! And that thou mayest further forbear 
 to say one single word on this tabooed subject, 
 know whenever thou doest so the same punishment 
 awaits thee." 
 
 She pouted so adorably that again he would 
 have kissed her. But she quickly placed her 
 hand over his mouth, which he kept there, patting 
 the finger tips between his lips and playfully bit- 
 ing them. 
 
 " I will give thee something better to chew than 
 these," she said. She stooped over the strawberry 
 bed, pulling him down with her. There among 
 the fading leaves, bare now of all fruit, reposed 
 two gigantic berries, glistening in their tempting 
 lusciousness. 
 
 " Immense ! " he said with emphasis. He care- 
 fully detached them, placed one between his lips, 
 and stooped towards her to take it. She stood on 
 tiptoe, taking one half, leaving him the other half. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 341 
 
 " Greedy thou," he said, " thou tookest nearly 
 all. Hardly did I have a taste." 
 
 " That is because thou gavest me the largest 
 portion." She put the remaining berry between 
 her lips, while he bent his stately head, taking in 
 one comprehensive kiss both the alluring baits so 
 temptingly held out to him. 
 
 " Now thou canst complain no more," she ob- 
 served, " for surely I have made up to thee. 
 Scarcely anything but the stalk remained in my 
 month. Tis odd, though, I should have discovered 
 them, just as if they hid themselves there pur- 
 posely for thee and me." 
 
 "And we gathered them," he replied with a 
 look full of smiling bliss, " and shared them be- 
 tween us, as indeed everything from now on should 
 be shared between thee and me." 
 
 He took her hand and drew off the small black 
 circlet she still wore on her finger. " Now," he 
 said, " thou shalt yield this to me. Many a time 
 have I felt jealous in seeing thee wear it. Were 
 it not that I knew thou didst so in all innocence of 
 feeling, I should have taken it from thee long ago." 
 
 " The ring is very dear to me, both for the 
 sake of him who gave it and the dear memories 
 it contains. To no one else in the world would I 
 have yielded it. Now thou must wear it, and 
 never, never part with it." 
 
 She placed it on the little finger of his left 
 hand, which it exactly fitted. Odd and striking 
 it looked there. She passed her hand caressingly 
 over it and kissed it once or twice. 
 
342 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Now it is hallowed," he said, " and as such 
 shall never come into contact with anything pro- 
 fane. See now what I have for thee." 
 
 He pressed the spring of a little morocco case. 
 Inside lay a plain gold band, with a beautiful 
 large pearl, set boldly in the middle. From its 
 satin-lined bed it glistened at her like a big tear, 
 trembling as if about to fall. She drew in her 
 breath and looked at him in alternate surprise and 
 dismay. 
 
 " For me ? " she asked. 
 
 " Certainly for thee. Dost think in all the 
 world there lives one for whom I would buy gew- 
 gaws? 'T is the sacred symbol of that which 
 united our hearts long ago, to be replaced by one 
 which shall unite us in all eternity." 
 
 He put it upon her finger, took her in his arms, 
 and kissed her. 
 
 " It cannot be," she answered. She drew the 
 ring from her finger, fastened it on her satin waist 
 ribbon, and put it around her neck. 
 
 " Canst thou wound me thus ? " he asked in 
 stern reproach. 
 
 " Thus will I wear it, hidden close to my heart. 
 Dearest beloved one ! Better were it for thee to 
 forget me, and choose some one who is better 
 suited to thee." 
 
 " Have done with this," he ejaculated with fierce 
 scorn. " Thou knowest not how childish is thy 
 talk. Now once for all shalt thou decide, either 
 thou lovest me, or thou dost not." 
 
 She gave a startled cry. Then she wound her 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 343 
 
 arms about his neck and kissed him passion- 
 ately. 
 
 " Ah," she exclaimed, breathing between his 
 lips, " confess thou saidst it to try me. Thou thy- 
 self dost not know how I love thee. Never, never 
 would one heart-beat be the less for thee. Thou 
 art my heaven, my prayers breathe but of thee, 
 my first thought on arising, the last one when I 
 go to sleep. For thee I would suffer the world's 
 scorn, the jeers of the multitude. To all would I 
 be deaf, hearing nothing but the sound of thy be- 
 loved voice, blind, seeing only the glance of thy 
 dear, dear eyes." 
 
 " Then," replied he with kindling glance, " let 
 us go to my father. He will not deny us his bless- 
 ing. Marry me, be mine now." 
 
 " I cannot marry thee," she said, wringing her 
 hands. " I will do anything thou wishest, but I 
 cannot forego my religion or be banned forever." 
 
 " Thou wilt deprive me of my manhood ; do 
 not try my fortitude too far. Saint I am not ; 
 there is a limit to my forbearance. Human na- 
 ture is but faulty at its best. What in God's 
 name dost thou think will become of either thee 
 or me ? " 
 
 She fell down at his feet. " Forgive me," she 
 sobbed, " I cannot cannot do otherwise. Oh, if 
 the fear of being cast out did not stand between 
 us. It haunts me day and night. Nowhere can I 
 find rest, nowhere. It saps at my life, ever does 
 it wrestle to the same tune. It burns in my brain, 
 and sometimes I think it will turn it afire." 
 
344 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 He raised her and strained her to him in silent 
 despair. Against anything tangible he could fight 
 sturdily enough and take up the odds gladly. 
 This spectre unmanned and dismayed him. 
 
 CHAPTEE XLVII 
 
 " THOU dost not appear as well as usual, Lieb- 
 chen," remarked the pastor kindly to Jette one 
 afternoon. The early winter twilight <5ast its 
 frolicking shadows into the corners of the sitting- 
 room, where a great fire roared in the porcelain 
 stove. The cold weather had set in early this year, 
 following close upon the heels of a most glorious 
 but brief autumn. The pastor sat again at his 
 chess table, puzzling out his problems as of old. 
 His pipe, with its great china bowl, was between 
 his lips. A deep meditative frown intensified the 
 lines between the eyebrows, as his hand hovered 
 over the chessmen. 
 
 Jette sat in the south window, where her place 
 had always been, opposite the Frau Pastorin, ever 
 since the time that good soul had taught her the 
 sampler stitch and how to sew. The Frau Pastor- 
 in's chair, with its cushions of faded chintz, stood 
 exactly in the same position. Her little work- 
 table, with the old-fashioned sandal-wood work- 
 box, stood in its old place. Only now it was 
 closed ; the deft fingers which had ever searched 
 for reels of sewing thread and scissors would 
 never use it more. Her large mending-basket 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 345 
 
 stood on the floor close beside her chair, the things 
 she had last touched neatly folded up, just as she 
 had left them. Her monthly roses, jasmine and 
 rosemary bushes, bloomed as brightly as ever. 
 The silver sand on the snow-white floor glistened, 
 the room was bright, cosy, and warm. Everywhere 
 was the evidence of a prudent, industrious, vigor- 
 ous hand, ever busy for the comfort and welfare 
 of the household. 
 
 The linen band Jette had been stitching had 
 dropped unheeded into her lap. It was too dark 
 to work, but the lamp had not yet been lit. The 
 Herr Pastor liked the twilight, when the bright 
 fire threw its fitful shadows into the corners, and 
 he could hug himself in the comfort within from 
 the dreariness without. 
 
 There was something in Jette's attitude, the 
 ever busy hands listlessly stretched before her, 
 which compelled the Herr Pastor's attention and 
 set him to thinking deeply. He was startled to 
 see the impression his words made upon her. She 
 almost jumped from her chair, her eyes wide with 
 fright, her whole attitude, as she thrust herself far 
 over the seat, most expressive of terror. 
 
 " Nay, I did not mean to startle thee," he said 
 half soothingly, half reprovingly ; " surely there 
 was nothing in what I said to make thee act so. 
 It seems to me thou art pining for something, for 
 lately thou art strangely quiet and sedate. Wilt 
 thou not tell me what ails thee ? " 
 
 "Nothing nothing ails me," she replied hur- 
 riedly ; " indeed you are mistaken." 
 
346 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Ah, well," he said softly. " 'T were better 
 thou hadst some one of thy own sex, young like 
 thyself, to go to at times and talk to. Often have 
 I regretted the want of a suitable companion for 
 thee. Youth seeks youth, as is but natural. I 
 do not know of anything that could lie heavy on 
 thy heart. Since the dear mamma is gone thou 
 hast no one to admonish or advise thee." 
 
 He was silent for a moment as he watched her 
 in mute perplexity. The gathering shadows pre- 
 vented him from seeing her face. But he heard 
 her quick, hurried breathing. 
 
 " Jettchen," he queried hesitatingly, "hast thou 
 ever regretted thou didst not marry the banker?" 
 
 "Never," she answered emphatically; "come 
 what may, never can I regret it. He was hateful, 
 abhorrent to me. More plainly do I see every 
 day that he would have made my life unbearable. 
 I loved his mother, but I shrank from him." 
 
 " It is a great relief to me to hear thee say 
 that. I am glad thou didst not marry him, for 
 he was no fit man for a girl like thee. There are 
 other things besides money necessary for a wife's 
 happiness. I am only sorry thou didst not tell 
 me the truth earlier. Thou mightest have had a 
 desirable wooer in the mean time, who would have 
 suited thee, and carried thee off to a home of thy 
 own by now." 
 
 " Are you sorry to have me here ? " she asked 
 with strange wistfulness. 
 
 " Now thou hast made me angry ! Thou knowest 
 very well what thou art to me and good old 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 347 
 
 Babbett. Especially at the time when when 
 the dear mamma went what should we have 
 done without thee ? " 
 
 "Oh," she muttered in a stifled voice, "if I 
 could only take out my heart and show you what 
 passes within there now. What have I done in 
 return for all the love and kindness heaped upon 
 me ? " She wrung her hands under her black silk 
 apron, but he did not see it. 
 
 "Like a dutiful, loving daughter hast thou 
 been," he answered with emotion. " A thousand- 
 fold hast thou repaid what little we ever did for 
 thee. And to see thee grow up in maidenly beauty 
 and purity dost thou think that is no pleasure 
 for an old man like me ? " She uttered a sup- 
 pressed moan, as he continued, " But in the com- 
 fort thou preparest for me thy own welfare must 
 not be forgotten. Thou art now in the full hey- 
 day of thy lovely youth and must get a home of 
 thy own. Never thou fear, we will get a suitable 
 husband for thee." He rose and cordially tapped 
 her on the shoulder. She shrank, as if she felt 
 herself withering under his touch. 
 
 " Oh no, oh no," she said ; " let me stay here 
 and care for you. I ask no better lot in life." 
 
 " Thou must not worry about me ; Fritz will 
 marry, and I shall do very well. Besides, Babbett 
 seems to be growing strong again. What little 
 there is to do for us two old people she will be 
 able to manage." 
 
 " Alas," she replied, " nowhere nowhere seems 
 there to be a place for me." 
 
348 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " How sayest thou that ? " he uttered. He stood 
 still, looking at her through the enshrouding gloom. 
 " What strange words are these ? How comest 
 thou to that tone of voice? " He was silent for a 
 moment, then he said so softly it brought the 
 tears in a rush to her eyes, " Thou hast something 
 on thy mind, girl! Canst thou not trust me? 
 Speak to me as if I were thy confessor and none 
 but the Almighty One and I heard thee ! " 
 
 In the darkness he could see that she struggled 
 with herself. Then she murmured, " Sitting here 
 in the dark has depressed me. 'T is then one's 
 thoughts turn to gloomy things. I will go out for a 
 moment into the fresh air, then bring in the lamp.'* 
 
 He detained her. " Kemember," he said, " all 
 evil comes from deceit. It brings woe unutterable 
 to the unsuspecting innocent, who more often than 
 not go under, unable to extricate themselves from 
 the snare others spread for their unwary feet." 
 
 With bowed head she passed out. But she did 
 not speak. 
 
 CHAPTER XL VIII 
 
 AT the end of the week the doctor came. The 
 interval between this and his last visit had been 
 longer than usual. Therefore his father's heart 
 rejoiced exceedingly to see him again, for these 
 visits, necessarily brief and few and far between, 
 were to him like a glimpse of his own happy 
 youth. The doctor looked strong and well as 
 usual, but there was a restless activity about his 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 349 
 
 movements which would hardly allow him to be 
 still for two minutes at a time. He arrived about 
 the same hour as he always did, late in the evening. 
 The household crowded to the gate, of course, as 
 soon as they heard the guard's horn merrily tooting 
 " Die Post im Walde." All knew that Fritz had 
 come, and the Herr Pastor had his head in at the 
 post-chaise window before it had fairly stopped. 
 Everybody's eyes sparkled, the father kissed and 
 hugged his big boy, and had to stand on tiptoe to 
 do it. There were merry greetings and hand- 
 shakings all round. The traveler was hurried 
 into the warm sitting-room, where he threw off 
 his fur cloak, and greeted everybody again in his 
 boyish, hearty fashion. A bright red spot burned 
 in either of Jette's cheeks, as she quickly went to 
 and fro, caring for the dear arrival's comfort. An 
 ardent, meaning look he gave her, as she placed 
 the steaming hot dishes before him, a look which 
 sent a tremor through her limbs and made the 
 pupil of her eye large with fear. The pastor sat 
 opposite him, hugging his lean knees with delight. 
 His joy and happiness as he watched his boy eat 
 fairly transfigured his plain, homely features. 
 
 " Thou dost not seem to have brought thy usual 
 appetite with thee," he complained rather disconso- 
 lately ; " is not everything prepared to thy liking ? " 
 
 " Everything is as excellent as the fondest care 
 combined with skill could make it," replied the doc- 
 tor heartily. " I was provided with an excellent 
 lunch on the way, which probably took the edge 
 off my hunger." 
 
360 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 He got up and walked about restlessly, taking 
 up an object here, another one there, intently 
 examining it as if he saw it for the first time, yet 
 in reality seeing nothing. His eyes flashed with 
 concentrated brilliancy, a dark red flame in his 
 cheeks. Never in his life had he looked so hand- 
 some ; even his father was struck by it. 
 
 " Now sit thee down," he observed, " here where 
 I can see thee. There is thy pipe just where thou 
 leftest it. Jettchen is always careful to clean out 
 the bowl and put it back in its accustomed place. 
 And now tell me of what goes on outside, thy 
 world, dear boy, in which I am most interested." 
 
 " One moment, dear papa, and I 'm at your 
 service." He followed Jette into the passage out- 
 side, and with a gesture full of love and passionate 
 devotion took her in his arms. 
 
 " Do thou go to rest, dearest," he said, as he 
 fondly smoothed the hair back from her brow. 
 " To-night all shall be told." 
 
 " Thou art about to plant the dagger in his 
 heart," she sighed in a broken voice, " and he will 
 bleed to death." 
 
 " Nay, thou art forever seeing phantoms. Trust 
 me, all will turn out well." 
 
 " Oh, if the night were passed," she groaned. " I 
 quake in trembling and fear." 
 
 " Nay, 't is not thus thou must fortify me ; be 
 strong with me, dearest. Now everything shall be 
 made clear between us. No longer will we dwell 
 apart, thou here, I there, leaving all that puts 
 heart in a man's work behind me. Thou must 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 351 
 
 come with me, thou, the light and spirit of my 
 life, my dear, dear wife, to go hand in hand 
 with me forever." 
 
 Her head was hidden in his breast, low sobs 
 came from her lips. He kissed her again and 
 again. As he watched her go up the stairs, the 
 pastor opened the sitting-room door. 
 
 " Boy," he called, " boy, where art thou ? 
 what detains thee ? " He made a step out into 
 the passage and saw Jette as she vanished round 
 the first landing. She had just sent a last glance 
 out of her troubled eyes to the doctor, standing 
 below, who, with one hand on the banisters, the 
 other gracefully held on his hip, returned it with 
 one of loving assurance. The pastor saw the smile 
 upon his lips and the look in his eyes, and a vague 
 feeling of uneasiness tightened about his heart. 
 
 "Hast been talking to Jettchen?" he asked. 
 In the dimly lighted passage he looked 'at him 
 keenly. " Perhaps she has confided to thee what 
 ails her." 
 
 The doctor led the way back to the sitting-room. 
 The opening was just what he wanted. " What 
 should ail her ? " he inquired. 
 
 " She is not her usual self," said the pastor ; 
 " the girl frets, I think. At odd times I have seen 
 her look so forlorn, so sad, it sent all kinds of 
 strange thoughts through my brain. Perhaps she 
 worries about the future she ought not to waste 
 the best part of her life in this solitude. A hus- 
 band must be found for her. When spring comes 
 again and one can more easily move about from 
 
352 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 one place to another, I must set myself to the task 
 in earnest." 
 
 " Give thyself no further concern on that score," 
 answered the doctor ; "a husband has been found 
 for her long ago." 
 
 Not the words, but the tone in which he spoke 
 them made the pastor rise from his chair. He 
 trembled so he had to steady himself by a corner 
 of the table. Articulating slowly he said unstead- 
 
 ily,- 
 
 " Thou seemest to be wonderfully well informed. 
 Perhaps thou wilt be kind enough to tell me who 
 he is?" 
 
 Their eyes met. The Frau Pastorin had always 
 said that for tale-bearing she had never seen any- 
 thing like it. Both were alike in that respect. If 
 either of them ever tried to conceal anything one 
 had only to look into his eyes to see it legibly 
 written there. What the pastor now saw in the 
 glance meeting his own made him reel as if he were 
 about to fall. 
 
 " It cannot be," he faltered ; " surely surely 
 thou dost not mean " 
 
 " Sit down, papa," begged the doctor. He put 
 his arm round the father's shoulder and gently 
 replaced him in his chair. 
 
 " Thou must listen to what I have to tell thee," 
 he said, "without exciting thyself. Long and 
 heavy has it lain on my heart, and now the load 
 must off for evermore. Neither she nor I can live 
 like this any longer." 
 
 " But this is fearful," exclaimed the old pastor 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 353 
 
 piteously ; " thou she boy, thou knowest not 
 what thou sayest." He gazed around him vacantly, 
 then said with sudden vehemence, " Hast thou told 
 her of thy love ? " 
 
 " She knows it, since the day I came back from 
 Vienna." 
 
 " For years," cried the pastor, " for years 
 this deceit has gone on ? Here while thy mo- 
 ther was alive before our very faces ? Hadst thou 
 no manhood and she no shame and yet yet 
 since thou earnest back from Vienna, sayest thou ? 
 How then is it possible " 
 
 " Dost thou remember when in the dawn of the 
 morning she found Hans and me asleep in the 
 orchard out yonder, and she awoke us and brought 
 us here ? that was also the dawn of my love, papa. 
 Ever she grew dearer to me, day by day ; it was 
 a passion against which there was no arguing or 
 appeal. I thought that perhaps absence and a 
 busy life would cure it, but, strong as the breath 
 of life I drew, it shadowed me wherever I went, 
 at once the sweet and the torment of my exist- 
 ence. I could not forget her ; struggle as I might 
 ever and ever the feeling came back to me a thou- 
 sandfold stronger than before. Then I knew that 
 fate had overtaken me ; I ceased to battle with 
 what was stronger than I. I labored thou and 
 the world know how that I might win her and 
 bear her off to my home, where she should be my 
 own, my beloved, dearly cherished wife. Ah ! " 
 he cried passionately, thrusting his hands out be- 
 fore him, " never was battle harder to fight, never 
 
354 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 was dream more difficult of realization. What 
 we have suffered she and I surely needs some 
 compensation." 
 
 Under the rapid flow of his son's speech, the 
 pastor sat as one stunned. Picture after picture 
 unrolled itself before his mind probabilities he 
 dared not contemplate, and yet he must know 
 all. 
 
 " And all this time," he ejaculated, " all this 
 time thou never saidst a word, but hugged thy 
 guilty secret thou and she." 
 
 "In that I have erred," answered the doctor 
 humbly ; " I acknowledge it to my shame and 
 sorrow. If the great calamity thou knowest, 
 mamma's death had not overtaken us, all should 
 have been told long ago." 
 
 " God in heaven ! " said the old man helplessly, 
 " what is to be the end of this ? Thou canst not 
 marry her and she I suppose thou wilt tell me 
 that she returns thy love ? " 
 
 " She loves me as I love her, and she will no 
 more deny her love than I will." 
 
 " She must go away from here," exclaimed the 
 pastor, springing to his feet ; " no longer can this 
 horrible thing continue. This, then, is the reason 
 she is so sad and depressed all the time " 
 
 "Stay, papa," interrupted the doctor, "thou 
 saidst horrible is it such a fearful thing to love 
 one another ? " 
 
 " Canst thou not see," uttered his father, agi- 
 tated almost beyond control, " that a marriage 
 between you two is impossible ? Aside from all 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 355 
 
 other considerations, thou wouldst ruin thy career 
 and ostracize thyself from society for all time to 
 come." 
 
 " Because she is poor ? " 
 
 " Thou fool ! because she is a Jewess, and being 
 such cannot wed with thee, the Christian." 
 
 The doctor walked up and down the room in 
 silence. Then he said, " Is it on that score thou 
 ref usest thy consent ? " 
 
 " Aye, on that score, and on that alone. And if 
 this is not enough for thee, there are worse diffi- 
 culties in the way. The synagogue will cast her 
 out from among her people should she wed with 
 thee." 
 
 " 'T is nothing new ; we have known it a long 
 time, ever since I first told her of my love." 
 
 " And yet she listened to thee ? Father in hea- 
 ven ! Where does this deceit begin and where 
 does it end ? Is she then forsworn, ready to cast 
 off what she has been taught to hold as nearest and 
 sacred what even the most degraded cling to if 
 all else is forsaken ? " 
 
 "We will reckon with that afterwards. Do 
 thou first give thy consent. Papa, dear papa ! do 
 not abandon us to misery. Listen, I beseech thee ! 
 do not forever make two lives miserable. Do 
 thou give thy consent to our union. Then I shall 
 be strong to battle with the rest." 
 
 " Cease," said the pastor harshly ; " 't is not 
 seemly thou shouldst degrade thy manhood still 
 further than thou hast already done. Never will 
 I give my consent to such an unnatural union. 
 
356 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Thou knowest me, and that what I say I adhere 
 to. Forsworn and deceitful have you been both, 
 and 't is only fair you should suffer for it. Now 
 stern duty beckons with unrelenting finger, and it 
 shall be my care to see that she is obeyed. You 
 must part, and that instantly." 
 
 " Man forsakes me," replied the doctor, " but 
 God always remains. To the father I have ap- 
 pealed in vain now man must speak to man." 
 He drew a deep breath, flung back his head, and 
 clasped his hands behind him. Then he said very 
 low, so that his voice was hardly that above a 
 whisper, " I shall cleave to her as God himself 
 commanded husband should cleave to wife." 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX 
 
 THE two men stood opposite each other, the pas- 
 tor as if turned to stone. He flung his hands from 
 before him as if he saw some horrible spectre. 
 Then he said in tones fearful to hear, 
 
 " Thou Fritz, thou ! " He stopped, then uttered 
 with difficulty ; " Thou liest ; thou art not so aban- 
 doned as that." He came and knelt in front of 
 him. " Where, then, is manhood and manhood's 
 vaunted boast, honor ? Surely they rove abroad, 
 rioting in drunken frenzy at their own worthless- 
 ness ! Thou the crown and glory of my whitening 
 hairs, the trusty staff of these trembling limbs ! 
 Yesterday more blessed than a king, to-day more 
 sorely abased than a beggar ! " 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 357 
 
 He staggered to his feet and reeled about the 
 room as if drunk. He flung out his arms and 
 cried out in tones of terrible grandeur, 
 
 " Heap the weight of thy misdoing upon this 
 hoary head, that it may be trailed deep, deep in the 
 dust ! Sear this furrowed brow with the hot iron 
 rankling in my soul, that all may read the shame 
 writ thereupon ! Now is the world a howling 
 chaos, for all its highways and signposts are swept 
 away. The light has forsaken mine eyes ; blind 
 shall I be and blind shall I remain forever, grop- 
 ing I know not where, seeking in vain for a hand 
 to guide me. Thou hast wrested the staff from my 
 hand, broken it in pieces, and flung it in sheer 
 wantonness of spirit at my aged and trembling 
 feet!" 
 
 He was silent a moment. His arms hung help- 
 lessly at his side, his head sunk upon his breast. 
 He walked to his wife's empty chair and steadied 
 himself by its arms. 
 
 " One brings children into the world," he said, 
 "and counts upon them as a safe investment to 
 support one's feeble old age, and then wakes up to 
 find one's self bankrupt thus ! " 
 
 He threw out his hands towards his son and fell 
 prone upon the floor. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 DAYS went by before the stricken man regained 
 consciousness. It was a stroke of paralysis, and 
 
358 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 for some time it looked as if he would pass away. 
 Nothing but the most assiduous care could ever 
 have brought him round again. Time and his 
 own indefatigable spirit might do wonders, but he 
 would never be the same vigorous, hale, hearty 
 man again ; that was plain to every one. 
 
 As his senses slowly came back to him, who 
 shall say what thoughts struggled for supremacy 
 out of the warring confusion of his heart and 
 brain? To no one but the Divine is it given to 
 read what passes in the human breast. No one 
 but the Divine can inspire what there is of pity, 
 sympathy, and understanding for human suffer- 
 ing and human woe. No one but the Divine can 
 infuse that spark from his own mighty spirit 
 which makes human nature view itself as it really 
 is with all its failings and all its foibles, think 
 upon it, weak, erring, incomplete. And as it 
 is given to no man to be anything but human, so 
 no man has the right to condemn his erring 
 brother to shame and torture by flinging him 
 deeper into the pit into which his weakness of 
 will or errors of judgment have thrown him. 
 Lives there one in all the world who can come 
 forward preening an unsullied plumage, lifting 
 high his crest to proclaim with haughty assurance 
 that he alone of all is guiltless ? If so, then let 
 him step forth, that all may fall down and worship 
 him. 
 
 The march of our much vaunted enlightenment, 
 lumbering on its ponderous way, is like that of an 
 unlicked schoolboy on his way to school, stopping 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 359 
 
 for a wrangle here, a bullying contention there. 
 One longs to knock some sense into his unfledged 
 carcass, or to accelerate his speed by a timely and 
 vigorous shove. There is too much religion upon 
 the lips, too little spirituality in the heart. Creed 
 wars with creed, splits itself into factions, denomi- 
 nations, God knows what. One calls itself this, 
 the other one that ; and in their struggle for su- 
 premacy give the direct lie to that which they 
 claim alone animates them, the Divine. Each 
 is like a fakir at the fair, denouncing his com- 
 petitor's wares while claiming perfection for his 
 own. 
 
 The pastor, lying upon his couch of pain near 
 the undraped window, blinked his dazzled eyes in 
 the brightening sun, and felt that it was good to 
 be warmed by its rays once more. As he watched 
 the radiant beams mounting higher and higher in 
 the heavens, there were illumined for him many 
 things which had hitherto been enshrouded in 
 darkness. At last he understood in its grand, full 
 significance, " Let there be light." He looked 
 back down the road of his earthly journey, and 
 now near the end, saw all he had been blind to on 
 the way. No, not blind ; his vision had only been 
 obscured. Now the film was removed he could 
 see all the roses, as well as the thorns, he had 
 missed on the way. He saw his son as he really 
 was, shorn of the crown of glory he had woven 
 around his head, only human, that was all ; 
 human in his folly, his pride, his love, his strength, 
 his errors, and his judgment, in all those attri- 
 
360 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 butes, some more, some less, which go to make 
 up the sum and substance of our natures. He 
 saw him with all his imperfections, but also his 
 virtues thick upon him. The highway of life is 
 thorny and rough, sometimes our vision is dimmed 
 that we cannot see, what wonder that many lose 
 their foothold, stumble, and fall. He was his son, 
 flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, aye, that 
 was it ! It was the father who looked at him, 
 the father ! 
 
 The father who has never watched beside the 
 sick-bed of a beloved child ; who has never heark- 
 ened to its cry of distress in the still hours of the 
 night ; who has never moistened the fever-parched 
 lips, or gazed into the wandering eyes, seeking for 
 the truant consciousness ; who has never strained 
 the cherished little form to his agonized breast, 
 beseeching Him on high to take all of his worldly 
 goods, but to spare him this one little blossom ; 
 who has never done fierce battle with the gaunt 
 destroyer, and fought the bitter fight inch by inch, 
 until the enemy was routed he has never had his 
 foot on the step of the sanctuary or probed in its 
 depths the might of fatherly love. 
 
 Looking at the bronzed man before him, he 
 lived over again the hour of peril and travail. 
 The boy was six years old when he was stricken 
 with scarlet fever. He was saved, but the strug- 
 gle had been fearful. Night after night he had sat 
 at his bedside, soothing the pain-racked form, cool- 
 ing the burning throat, and beguiling the tedium 
 of convalescence with stories of Struwelpeter and 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 361 
 
 Buebezahl. Death had hovered very nigh then, 
 so nigh that the Heavenly Father had approached 
 very near to the earthly one. 
 
 Our Father, which art in heaven ! Our Father ! 
 the Father who enfolds all in his pitying em- 
 brace ; who looks down on every one alike, reading 
 what is in the human heart, seeing its pitfalls and 
 its errors ; whom all must face some day with no 
 pleader but their own conscience, dependent upon 
 his mercy and clemency ; before whom soon he 
 must take his stand, he what was he that 
 he should set himself up as judge above his fellows ? 
 Would he not soon have to plead for that clemency 
 he had a little while since refused his son ? 
 
 " Fritz," he said softly. 
 
 The doctor's eyelids had drooped over his tired 
 eyes. No hands but his had been allowed to touch 
 the stricken father. Day and night had he sat 
 beside him, giving the medicine, watchful of his 
 every breath. His face was worn and haggard ; 
 what he had suffered was plainly written there. 
 
 " Fritz, dear child," called the pastor. 
 
 The doctor opened his eyes with a look of 
 wonder, as if he were dreaming. When he saw 
 what was in the pastor's face, he was beside him 
 with one bound. 
 
 " Papa, dear papa." His voice was almost a 
 sob. He took the thin white hands in his own, 
 and lovingly pressed them to his cheeks and lips. 
 
 " Lie still ! " he said ; " not yet must thou exert 
 thyself in speech. Thou hast been ill ; thou know- 
 est it, eh ? " 
 
362 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " 'Tis over," answered the pastor. " Give thy- 
 self no concern. My wandering senses have re- 
 turned, my mind has seen while my eyes were 
 shut. If thou hast anything ready with which to 
 nourish me, let me have it ; not yet can my weak 
 body keep pace with my stronger spirit, and what 
 I have to say must be told without delay." 
 
 The doctor hurried into the passage and called 
 to Babbett, who soon appeared, bearing a basin of 
 strong broth and a glass of wine. She was fol- 
 lowed by Minka, who jumped upon the pastor's 
 lap and affectionately stroked her long whiskers 
 against his face. 
 
 " Thou truant," he said, passing his hand over 
 her coat ; " where hast thou been all the time ? 
 Formerly thou wert content to stay beside me ; 
 now thou payest only stately visits, few and far 
 between." 
 
 " Thank Heaven you are better, master ! " in- 
 spirated Babbett. She looked more upright and 
 stronger now since she found there was need of 
 her services. The tears were in her eyes as she 
 noticed how the pastor had aged during these few 
 days' illness. But he looked at her with his kind 
 smile, and took the napkin she was about to fasten 
 under his chin in his own trembling hands. 
 
 " I will not be coddled," he said. " I am quite 
 strong, and will soon be downstairs again. Is 
 everything well as usual ? " 
 
 " Quite well," replied the old woman cheerfully. 
 She knew that his anxiety was for the lonely, 
 heart-broken girl downstairs, to whom it would be 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 363 
 
 renewed life to hear he had inquired for her. She 
 went down, leaving Minka with her master, who 
 would not leave him. 
 
 The doctor sat on a low stool in front of his 
 father's couch, holding the tray on his knees, re- 
 joicing at every spoonful he swallowed. At first 
 he had attempted to feed him, but the pastor had 
 resented it with playful indignation. 
 
 " See," he challenged, holding out his hand 
 which, in spite of his immense will power, trembled 
 incessantly, "how strong I am. I need only to 
 nourish myself for a few days, then all will be as 
 before. Give me the wine, boy. Nay, thou mayest 
 hold it to my lips till the first drops are sipped. 
 'T is not because my hand trembles, but the good 
 soul, Babbett, filled the glass over full. Ah, that 
 is good ! that puts new life into one. Thou must 
 have paid a great price for this port, my son, for 
 every drop seems to renew into vigor the old blood 
 in my heart." 
 
 When he had drained the last drop of wine and 
 swallowed all the broth he lay back, strengthened 
 and refreshed. A bright spot burned in either 
 thin cheek, a steady fire glowed in his sunken 
 eyes. 
 
 " Now I can speak," he said. " Stand over 
 yonder, Fritz, there right in the light where I 
 can see thee." 
 
 The doctor went and leaned against the window- 
 frame, where the sunbeams turned his curls into 
 gold and lit up with the same glory the depths of 
 his dark brown eyes. For a moment the father 
 
364 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 looked at him steadily, with a tremor of the lip 
 and a moisture in the eye. 
 
 " Thou art all that is fair and comely to the 
 eye," he observed, " just as thy mother of blessed 
 memory was. Long did I murmur when she was 
 taken away ; but now I see that it was best, as 
 everything the Lord does in his infinite wisdom 
 and mercy." 
 
 The doctor made a gesture as if afraid his father 
 was about to excite himself. But the pastor was 
 quite composed and calm. 
 
 u I do not say it to reproach thee," he continued. 
 " Fools upbraid, wise men act. And as thy be- 
 havior has been such as to call forth immediate 
 action, I can only tell thee what is in my mind ac- 
 cording to the light vouchsafed me. Thou must go 
 away, at once. 'T is not seemly thou shouldst 
 continue in the house thy mother sanctified with 
 her presence, not you and she together. Nay, 
 hear me in silence until I have finished. Thou 
 must marry her now, that is plain enough. 
 First comes duty, to the rest you must both 
 adjust yourselves. 'Twill not be easy, depend 
 upon it." 
 
 The doctor threw himself beside his father's 
 couch. " I knew thee," he exclaimed. " All the 
 devotion of my life shall testify to the burden of 
 gratitude I owe thee. Now thy consent is gained 
 I do not fear the rest." 
 
 The pastor shook his head. "The most diffi- 
 cult remains. Tell me was she ever willing to 
 marry thee ? " 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 365 
 
 " No," said the doctor, " else " He hesitated. 
 His head was lowered upon his breast. 
 
 " Else had this never happened," concluded the 
 pastor. " 'T is I myself who insisted upon the 
 rigorous fulfillment of all the requirements of her 
 religion. 'T is the most sacred duty of the indi- 
 vidual to cherish the belief of his ancestors. Of 
 all misdoings of human kind, none stink worse in 
 the nostril than apostasy. Being born a Jewess, 
 not all the might of her love can undo the fact, 
 and I rejoice that in this, at least, she showed her- 
 self stanch and true." 
 
 "Papa," entreated the son, "papa," he 
 pleaded, " do thou not be hard upon her. Before 
 God she is blameless " 
 
 "Thou art a man," said the pastor steadily, 
 " and must bear thy man's measure." 
 
 " If I were less of a man, would it concern me 
 near so much? Would that I could absorb her 
 part of the burden into my very marrow, that 
 once being there it should knit itself into the bone 
 and absolve her forever." 
 
 " Speech must rest idle now ; a remedy must be 
 found for what is done. Now you will have to wait 
 awhile until I am strong enough to have speech 
 with her rabbi. He must if possible be induced 
 to give his consent, that her scruples may be 
 allayed." 
 
 He stopped a moment, then asked softly, " Hast 
 thou thought of any plan in case in case this 
 fails ? " 
 
 The doctor's color came and went. Then he 
 
366 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 said quickly and ever more quickly and passion- 
 ately, " She must not be disgraced. There is a 
 land far across the sea where neither she nor 
 I are known where liberty of thought and action 
 prevails where life may be begun anew and 
 made hallowed and sweet by our own efforts. 
 'T would be a hard wrench, I know " 
 
 " Thou wouldst leave me ! " cried the pastor. 
 Neither his body nor his faculties were as strong 
 as he led others to believe. He trembled like a 
 child about to be left alone in the dark. The tears 
 ran down his furrowed cheeks. " Thou wouldst 
 leave me," he repeated in tones pitiful to hear, " to 
 die desolate and alone, with strange hands to close 
 my eyes in death ! Oh, no, thou couldst not do 
 this. Wait but a little while it will not be for 
 long"- 
 
 " Papa ! " cried the doctor. He fell on his knees 
 beside him and took the dear, honored white head 
 between his hands. " What am I," he said, 
 "compared to thy heroic unselfishness? Thou 
 dear, good, purest of all pure souls ! come what 
 may, never will I leave thy tottering old footsteps 
 to grope their way alone. We are young, the 
 woman I love and I, and shame to us both if we 
 do not shoulder the burden of our responsibility. 
 Now thou shalt see of what mettle we are both 
 made. Let there be no more talk of this. Hard 
 as the conditions are, we must comply with them. 
 I will go away, as thou coinmandest. I will not re- 
 turn until thou givest me leave to. Only only 
 be kind to her " 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 367 
 
 " This is her home, doubly so now, by every 
 right on earth and in heaven. Be thou not uneasy, 
 my son. Soon will these tangled skeins be unrav- 
 eled. Count thou upon my discretion all must 
 be settled satisfactorily before things get whis- 
 pered abroad." 
 
 The son embraced him in mute fervor. "I 
 hardly like to leave thee yet," he said anxiously 5 
 " thou hast spent thyself, and must rest." 
 
 " I shall rest when thou art gone ; thou knowest 
 I am in good hands. Do thou delay no longer. 
 Go back to thy duties at Bonn soon shalt thou 
 hear from me." He smiled and looked lovingly 
 into his eyes. " Be of good heart. Now kiss me 
 and say good-by." 
 
 The doctor leaned over and kissed him. There 
 was reverence mingled with love in the caress he 
 gave, as well there might be. 
 
 " Thou stanch friend," he said, " dear, most 
 loyal sorely tried one ; who never from the time 
 thou guidedst my first tottering footsteps hast 
 ever failed me ; thou shalt yet hug the comforting 
 assurance to thy heart that in thy eyes I have re- 
 deemed myself, God helping me, of course." He 
 bent the knee, and the old pastor raised his trem- 
 bling hands over the bowed head and blessed him. 
 For a moment both were silent ; then the son 
 arose, softly pressed his lips to the old father's 
 brow, and left him. At the door he stopped and 
 half turned round. 
 
 " Thou wilt ever remember," he reminded him, 
 " what a terribly aching heart awaits thy message, 
 
368 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 not so much for my own relief, but what might 
 happen to her." 
 
 He went to his room, ordered his few belong- 
 ings, for his visits being necessarily brief, he 
 was not overburdened with luggage, and while 
 Babbett was gone to order the special post-chaise, 
 he went in search of Jette. 
 
 She was in the sitting-room. Always had it 
 been the centre of the family life, the meeting 
 place where each had met the other on common 
 ground, where everything of interest had been 
 discussed, and the events of the day were talked 
 over. Its dreary loneliness struck a chill to the 
 already overburdened heart of the doctor. He 
 came behind her softly, and leaning over the back 
 of her chair kissed her. 
 
 " Thou must not sit about so forlorn," he re- 
 proved, " else thou wilt take all heart out of me." 
 
 She flushed red as she always did whenever he 
 looked at her or came near her. The soft pink 
 bloom no longer graced her cheek, but more beau- 
 tiful than ever she looked, with the blue of her 
 eye dark with its load of pain, and the clear pal- 
 lor of her face transparent against the background 
 of black hair. She clasped her hands upon his 
 breast and looked at him beseechingly. 
 
 " He is better," she said ; " Babbett has told me 
 
 he is quite cheerful, like his old self again. 
 Will he allow me to go near him can he bear 
 the sight of me ? " 
 
 " Thou art a foolish child," answered the doctor, 
 " given to all sorts of unwholesome fancies when 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 369 
 
 I'm away from thee." He put his arm around 
 her and drew her up to him. " Thou must pro- 
 mise me not to fret," he whispered, " otherwise 
 my heart will be heavy indeed. Be cheerful, 
 dearest. The dark days are past dawn is 
 breaking. A little while yet then we will be 
 united, nevermore to part." 
 
 " It would be too heavenly. I cannot realize it. 
 When one is inured to suffering the transition to 
 joy is not easy." 
 
 "Joy follows upon the footsteps of grief, as 
 surely as the sun smiles from the clouds. Papa is 
 better ; soon he will be about again. Then he will 
 set himself the task to grapple with this matter 
 that thy religious scruples may be set at rest." 
 
 " And if he does not succeed ? " 
 
 " Then we go away from here to another land, 
 where we may all dwell in peace and happiness to- 
 gether. Thou, and I, and he." 
 
 " Thy father will not go ; his home is in thy 
 mother's grave. 'T would be like tearing the 
 fibres from his heart to take him away from it." 
 
 " He will go with us, never fear. We will give 
 him time to grow used to the idea. We will come 
 back and fetch him after a year or so when 
 matters have quite adjusted themselves and you 
 and I have grown old in our new happiness." 
 
 " I am happy," she replied, " when thou art 
 near me. With thee I would go barefooted all 
 over the world, following thee through the burn- 
 ing desert 'or the ice-clad plains, proud if I could 
 minister to thee, contented with a look, a word, a 
 
370 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 smile. If I cannot be thy wife, I will be thy 
 handmaiden, happy to be of use to thee for 
 there is no other man like thee, no one worthy to 
 compare with thee. Thou hast given me the love 
 of a man; what greater honor is there for wo- 
 man ? Thou hast my heart entirely, my soul I 
 cannot give thee. It belongs to God, and as He 
 gave it to me in trust, so will I have to reckon with 
 Him one day. And as all there is of divine in me 
 comes from Him, so do I throw myself upon his 
 mercy, sure that He knows what is in my heart 
 and will judge accordingly." 
 
 " As thou art," he said, " thou suitest me 
 thou hast taken hold of every fibre of my being. 
 Never, since the world stood, has woman entwined 
 herself around the heart of man as thou hast 
 around mine. 'T is not thy beauty alone thou 
 art gifted with a fatal charm. Whoever looks 
 into these eyes feels all there is of love within 
 him drawn forth unresistingly and lost within 
 their depths. Never did I think it possible love 
 could possess one so. Thou art mine as I am 
 thine nothing earthly can ever part us. We 
 were created for each other thou and I." 
 
 He kissed her as she kissed him, long and fer- 
 vently. They were about to part he with hope 
 burning bright, as is the manner of man accus- 
 tomed to plunge in and overcome strife ; she with 
 heart depressed, as is the manner of woman left 
 behind to watch and weep. Her heart was in her 
 kisses, as it was in her eyes as she said, 
 
 " If happiness were no more in store for me ; if 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 371 
 
 I had to die to-morrow foregoing all that life holds 
 dear; still should I be satisfied to go. I have 
 lived for I have had the glory of being loved 
 by thee." 
 
 " Thou must not droop thy head now," he re- 
 marked, " or go about dejected. Promise me till 
 I return thou wilt be cheerful. When next I come 
 there will be no more parting, nevermore in 
 this world. If thou art sad I shall feel it and all 
 heart will go out of my work. Buoy me up with 
 thy hopefulness so shall I be strong to battle 
 for us both." 
 
 It had grown dark. The post-chaise stood wait- 
 ing at the door. There would be a bright moon 
 presently the doctor preferred to journey by 
 night. He threw his fur-lined traveling-cloak 
 around him ; no king could have looked more royal, 
 with the rich sable, covering his tall stately form. 
 He flung back a corner and she crept under it, with 
 his arm clasping her to him close. He peered 
 through the slight aperture, while she peered up- 
 ward into his eyes. 
 
 " Come with me," he said ; " it is dark, no one 
 will see us. I would like to take thee with me ; 
 God only knows how strongly I wish it." 
 
 He lifted her over the doorsill and almost carried 
 her down to the gate. 
 
 " Run in," he urged, when he had taken his 
 seat in the chaise ; " thou hast no covering over 
 thy head, thou wilt catch thy death of cold." 
 
 His eyes were still on her face ; like phosphorus 
 they gleamed in the dark, revealing what there 
 
372 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 was of pain, of anguish, of sorrow there. She did 
 not heed his admonition, but stood where he had 
 left her, tall, motionless, rigid, both hands raised 
 in farewell. Now the moon rose in the radiant 
 east, full glorious, bathing the motionless figure at 
 the gate in a halo of white transparent light. He 
 had turned for a last adieu, and seeing her thus 
 peremptorily bade the postilions to stop. Before 
 they had fairly obeyed him, he had leapt from the 
 post-chaise, run back, and clasped her as if he 
 would never let her go. 
 
 " How can I leave thee," he uttered, " when 
 thou lookest so. Like a ghost thou stoodest there, 
 bidding me an eternal farewell. Oh, be careful 
 be careful of thyself. Write to me every day, 
 dost thou hear ? every hour of the day. Tell 
 me everything, omit not the merest trifle. Quick 
 as the breath of life will I fly to thee should st 
 thou need me. Go in I pray thee obey me. I 
 cannot go while thou standest here come, let me 
 take thee in myself." 
 
 Another moment, and from her seat at the 
 window the rumble of wheels told her that he was 
 gone. 
 
 CHAPTER LI 
 
 No one is solitary in merriment. His own joy- 
 ous mood keeps him company. The whole world 
 is kin. A merry smile, a bright glance, kindles 
 a responsive spark. Everything is in sympathy. 
 But let a great heartbreak come ; let it creep 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 373 
 
 up unawares or foreshadowed by passing events, 
 then it is the human soul finds it best to stand 
 alone. It is its foretaste of eternity. The vast 
 Infinite, enfolding one like the loving arms of 
 maternity, stimulates and consoles. What was 
 scorned in happiness becomes a desirable possi- 
 bility in sorrow. The erring soul, struggling up- 
 ward toward the light, must do so unaided and 
 alone. 
 
 To the girl up at the parsonage time crept 
 along on leaden wings. She had need of all her 
 heroic resolves, to sustain her during this time of 
 watching and waiting. The pastor did not mend 
 as rapidly as he thought he would. The winter 
 passed, spring was near at hand before he went 
 about the house again. Often his eye was vacant, 
 his mien abstracted. Rumor reared its snaky 
 crest, bared its grinning fangs, and scattered its 
 venom abroad. It burst out in foul invective, it 
 lifted the finger of scorn as the hapless girl passed 
 by. Gret, lifting little Lieschen up in her arms, 
 taught the baby lips to utter ribald gibes, to point 
 the finger of derision, to denounce most fiercely, 
 where she had most fondly worshiped. Poor 
 trembling, suffering Lieschen ! She could not 
 understand why she should despise to-day what 
 she had been taught to respect yesterday. Jette, 
 looking with her stricken eyes into those of the 
 terrified baby's, saw that the little heart was 
 broken, and in seeing thus felt her own break. 
 She crept back to the house, and left it no more. 
 
 It was not long before these rumors reached 
 
374 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Babbett. She came in one morning before the 
 noon hour, all in a white heat, and all unheeding 
 of the pastor's presence walked straight up to 
 Jette. 
 
 " Is it true," she asked fiercely, " what people 
 are saying of thee ? " 
 
 " Saying of me ? " repeated the girl with ashen 
 lips. 
 
 " It is true then," said the old woman ; " God 
 help thee, thou unfortunate jade." 
 
 She looked at her in silence. More of sorrow 
 than of anger there was in that look. 
 
 " I knew how it would be," she exclaimed ; " I 
 knew it all the time. Such girls as thou never 
 come to any good. Thou wert too finicking by far. 
 This did not suit thee the other was not to thy 
 liking now thou hast stirred up a nice broth for 
 thyself. If thou hadst only married the banker. 
 Thou dear Heaven ! How hast thou kicked thy 
 good fortune out of sight. But there was no one 
 to knock any sense into thee if only they had 
 seen in the cards what I saw they would have 
 sung a different tune. Thank Heaven, the mis- 
 tress did not live to see this. And now I suppose 
 the rest will happen also ; oh, I know what I 
 know. Thou poor, poor thing, one could cry over 
 and pity thee. 'T was this, I suppose, which made 
 the mistress of blessed memory call out in her last 
 moments, wanting to help thee, as was ever her 
 wont, sweet, blessed saint that she is. And now 
 I suppose she is helping the angels fit on their 
 halos properly." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 375 
 
 Up rose the pastor, straight and upright, from 
 his chair. 
 
 " Bring ine my staff," he commanded in his 
 strong, resonant voice. " I may be late to-night. 
 Let no one worry on my account." 
 
 CHAPTER LII 
 
 THE sun stood high in the western horizon 
 when the pastor reached the rabbi's door. Neu- 
 stadt was a market town, of some little preten- 
 sion, close upon the Nassau frontier. The house 
 in which the rabbi lived was tall and dingy, and 
 the time being close upon Passover, it presented 
 anything but an inviting appearance. The win- 
 dows were bare and undraped; everything that 
 was movable had been taken down to undergo the 
 annual purifying process. Furniture was piled 
 together ; all was in that state of disheartening 
 confusion in which the feminine soul delights in 
 the happy springtime, and which is enough to 
 make the stoutest male heart quail. 
 
 The rabbi himself opened the door in response 
 to the pastor's knock. He was a small weazened 
 man, with a caved-in chest and the student's stoop 
 in his narrow shoulders. His skin was swarthy 
 as a Moor's, which the scant gray hair, fall- 
 ing upon his shoulders and covered by a black 
 skull cap, accentuated. A long patriarchal beard 
 framed in his chin and fell in a tangled mass 
 upon his breast. His narrow forehead, deeply 
 
376 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 seamed with wrinkles, rose boldly above eyebrows 
 drawn so close together as almost to overshadow 
 his one eye, for the lid of the other was drawn 
 over an empty socket. It was an ecce homo face, 
 full of suffering, pain, and weariness. He stared 
 when he saw the pastor, for they knew each other 
 very well, but courteously invited him to enter. 
 As, with a shuffling gait, he walked on before, he 
 made profuse apologies for the disorder of the 
 house. 
 
 " The confusion of my mind is such," remarked 
 the visitor, " that I have no eye for outward 
 things. Pray do not humiliate me with excuses 
 which must discourage me with the thought that 
 the time for my visit was ill chosen." 
 
 The rabbi led the way to his study, a small room 
 at the back of the house, where no noises pene- 
 trated and where at all times he was safe from 
 unwelcome intrusion. The pastor sank into a 
 large leather armchair near the window, while his 
 host left him for a moment alone. He returned 
 bearing a tray with some glasses and a bottle of 
 wine, which he first carefully dusted, and then, 
 with a great deal of precaution, opened. 
 
 " Old vintage," he observed, as he filled the 
 glass and handed it to his guest. He filled one 
 for himself, and they gravely clinked their glasses 
 against each other. Then they both said " Prosit," 
 and drank, at first slowly, the rabbi with a 
 wink of the eye, and a subdued smack of enjoy- 
 ment ; the pastor mechanically, as if it were neces- 
 sary to fortify his waning strength. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 377 
 
 "Pardon me, reverend sir," began the rabbi; "you 
 do not seem to be in your usual robust health." 
 
 " Since we last met afflictions of all sorts have 
 overtaken me. It has turned the silver of my 
 hair into snow and my heart into everlasting 
 mourning." 
 
 " I know, I know," answered the rabbi with a 
 look of deep sympathy. " I have heard of the 
 calamity which scourged your village, and de- 
 prived you of a dear and cherished wife. These 
 are afflictions sent by the Lord, and all that we 
 can do is to submit ourselves to His will." 
 
 " What God does is well done," replied the other 
 with grandeur. " Happy am I, thrice happy, that 
 she was removed before that which has brought 
 me here overtook my house and brought perpetual 
 mourning to my heart." 
 
 The rabbi's eye gleamed. " Has it reference to 
 the maid ? " he asked. 
 
 " It is in reference to her that I come. Perhaps 
 you have heard " 
 
 " Rumors have been flying about lately, which 
 have not at all surprised me. Matters generally 
 turn out this way when a maid is willful and way- 
 ward-hearted." 
 
 The pastor rose from his chair. " Unheard of ! 
 intolerable ! " he cried. " Oh, that I had not been 
 oblivious to this, sunk in the selfishness of my own 
 grief. This could not have happened then." 
 
 " Why reproach yourself ? matters will take 
 their course. I do not see how you coidd have 
 prevented it." 
 
378 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " If she had been a lawful wedded wife would 
 her name be bandied about ? " 
 
 " Oh," exclaimed the rabbi, " lies the land that 
 way?" His bushy brows drew themselves to- 
 gether. A look of fierce resistance came into his 
 face. 
 
 " She must marry ; no longer can it be delayed. 
 Honor, justice, every right, human and divine, 
 demands it." 
 
 " 'T is their own affair ; what have I to do with 
 it?" 
 
 " The girl's religious scruples stand in the way," 
 said the pastor. 
 
 The rabbi laughed with taunting bitterness, 
 " Oh, she has scruples ! had she any when she 
 committed herself ? " 
 
 " Rabbi," said the pastor with emotion, " leave 
 that to the One on high to judge." 
 
 " I do not presume to judge. Who am I that 
 I should ? Only it seems to me that a maid 
 who has shown herself to be as misguided as she 
 evidently appears to be deserves very little com- 
 miseration." 
 
 " You make my task thrice difficult," said the 
 pastor. 
 
 " She knew well what was in store for her," pur- 
 sued the rabbi, " after the shameful manner in 
 which she treated the man who so highly honored 
 her above her deserts. He was of her own re- 
 ligion, pious, God-fearing, blest abundantly with 
 this world's goods, the prop and pillar of the 
 community. And he stooped down from his great 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 379 
 
 height to her, a beggar maid, when he might have 
 chosen among the mighty of the land. Without 
 a murmur he waited for her, yea, as patiently as 
 ever did Jacob for Rachel." He laughed bitterly. 
 " God save the mark ! what is she now ! " 
 
 " All that you can say I know," the pastor an- 
 swered, "and more. Circumstances there may 
 have been, of which outsiders know nothing, which 
 put another face upon this matter. The errand 
 which brings me here is this : has she your consent 
 in marrying my son ? " 
 
 " What have I to do with it ! 'T is the consent 
 of the synagogue that she wants and that she 
 will never obtain to marry the Christian. I 
 made this clear enough to her when she came and 
 plead with me over a year ago. 'T is not for want 
 of warning that she closed the trap upon herself : 
 now let her see how she gets out of it." 
 
 " Oh, no," observed the pastor mildly, " that 
 cannot be thy creed. God is merciful, and 't is 
 thy office to practice what He commands." 
 
 "Exactly. The Jewess cannot wed with the 
 Christian. If she does, she dies to her people ; 
 they know her no more. I admire, but I cannot 
 imitate thee." 
 
 " Thou art more priest than man, and 't was 
 to the man I came to appeal." 
 
 " I have yet to learn," said the rabbi, " that the 
 two are incompatible." 
 
 " If one overrules the other, yes. 'T was the 
 manhood within me which scorned to take advan- 
 tage of a poor, defenseless child flung for protec- 
 
380 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 tion at my door. Had I not in my own self-con- 
 ceit been weaponed against future contingencies, 
 I would not stand before thee now suing for 
 clemency in vain. Man is most weak where he 
 thinks himself most strong bethink thee, thy 
 judgment may be fallible." 
 
 " What ! Shall it be said that for one wanton 
 maid concessions shall be made which may tumble 
 the whole edifice about our ears, and bring on end- 
 less destruction ! Fools there are enough already 
 digging at the foundation, so that only the merest 
 shell remains. What she has sown she must reap ; 
 't is the inexorable result of all our actions." 
 
 " Beware," said the pastor, " lest in trying my 
 manhood too far I spit upon thine. Wanton she 
 is not and never has been. I will choke the foul 
 lie in any one's throat who dare proclaim it. 'T is 
 not for thee to add affliction to the already afflicted. 
 Leave that to the rabble, who lack enlightenment 
 to know better." 
 
 " Ay," sneered the rabbi, " 't is for the sons of 
 such true believers as thou to despoil the flower 
 of our race. Let her take comfort. In that she 
 is not alone." 
 
 " If I have offended thee," begged the other, 
 who bitterly rued his violence, " visit thy wrath 
 upon my head alone. The maid is very dear to 
 me." His voice vibrated like reeds in the wind. 
 "Be merciful, rabbi. Neither thy days or mine 
 are much longer in this land of travail. Bethink 
 thee of the terrible responsibility thou takest upon 
 thyself if thou refusest." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 381 
 
 " Merciful ! " cried the rabbi furiously ; " let me 
 conjure up a picture in thy mind." His eyes shot 
 forth sparks of fire, the drawn eyelid over the 
 empty socket quivered. " In the streets of War- 
 saw, at high noon, there stands a beautiful young 
 woman, stripped bare to the waist. She is tied to 
 a post, and clasps a young boy to her breast. The 
 soldiers are scourging her body till the lash cuts 
 to the bone, tearing great strips of flesh with it. 
 Suddenly they wrest the child from her, fling him 
 to the ground and deliberately gouge his eye out. 
 They jerk him to his feet, and, disfigured and bleed- 
 ing as he is, thrust the child into the mother's 
 face. She goes stark staring mad, and dies in the 
 most frightful convulsions. Now why, thou wilt 
 ask, was this done? Because she was a Jewess 
 and would not disclose her husband's hiding-place, 
 whom they were seeking for no worse crime than 
 that he was a Jew. So they killed the mother, 
 and tortured the child." 
 
 " God in heaven ! " uttered the pastor. He 
 moaned, and ran up and down the room like mad. 
 The whole frightful tragedy he saw enacted before 
 him ; the horror of it made his heart burst. The 
 rabbi's voice sounded to him as a far-away chant 
 of the Miserere as he continued, 
 
 " The child escaped, and was sent by compas- 
 sionate people to his father, who had fled to Paris. 
 But the horrors of that day remained fixed in his 
 memory forever. It will stay by him at the judg- 
 ment seat, where thou, pastor, and I one day must 
 stand for it was my mother whom they did to 
 
382 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 death, it was I whom they dismembered and it 
 will guide my accusing finger to point out, not the 
 butcher hirelings who do but as they are bidden, 
 but those who are the fomenters and instigators of 
 such deeds." 
 
 " There is nothing more base," said the pastor, 
 "than human nature when shorn of the divine. 
 There is nothing more grand or noble with it in- 
 stilled. 'T is given to man himself to sink below 
 the depth of the most ferocious brute, or to rise 
 to the grandeur of a god. But man will not see 
 this till, like the pestilence, he has destroyed what 
 was noblest and best within him. Then will come 
 purification. Let thou and I take time by the 
 forelock, and, casting all there is of rancor out of 
 the heart, act in unison for the welfare of others. 
 Nay, hear me. I came not to argue with thee. 
 Far was it from iny purpose to conjure up the 
 frightful memories thou hast evoked. For this I 
 would ask pardon of thee. Alas ! what can I say ! 
 truly thou hast cause for rancor. But temper jus- 
 tice with mercy ; bethink thee, thou wilt have need 
 of it thyself one day." 
 
 " I have said my say, I can do no more. Fain 
 would I console thee, for thou art an upright and 
 true man. But for the maid I have no other mes- 
 sage than what she has already heard herself, what 
 I said to thee from the first. Let her marry the 
 Christian if she will. However, she will be cast 
 out from among her people : they will know her 
 no more." 
 
 " I have done," exclaimed the pastor ; " here 
 
A TENT OP GRACE 383 
 
 below we meet no more. 'T is an ill creed thou 
 preachest in preparation of the life to come, where 
 all are thought to be equal." His voice rose and 
 gradually swelled like the deep tones of an organ, 
 filling the little room with its grand rhythm. 
 " Years hence, when both thou and I are as if we 
 had never been, the edifice thou tryest so hard to 
 preserve will have crumbled into dust. For no- 
 thing on earth can prevail unless it be founded on 
 the solid rock of brotherly love." 
 
 He went, and softly closed the door behind him. 
 
 CHAPTER LIII 
 
 His old-time vigor seemed all at once to have 
 returned to the pastor. He went about with an 
 alert step, his eye was keen and bright. It was 
 so sudden that everybody saw and marveled at it. 
 There was an air of haughty command in his car- 
 riage : he squared his shoulders and held his head 
 high, looking every one steadily in the face on his 
 way through the village. Before the grandeur of 
 his mien base effrontery slunk away abashed 
 who dared lift up a voice or cast a look of derision 
 in presence of so much majesty ? 
 
 He wrote a letter to his son, brief and to the 
 point : " Thou must order thy affairs," he said, 
 " in as short a time and with as much dispatch as 
 thy eagerness will dictate. I have failed in my 
 mission, and were it not that it will deprive me of 
 the comfort of having you both near me I should 
 
 
384 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 not be sorry for it. Thou must take her away, 
 at once. God will take care of the rest." 
 
 This he sealed and sent by special messenger. 
 A few days after, when the reply came, he said to 
 her, " Go out into the warm spring sunshine. No 
 longer must thou be sad. He is coming to go 
 away with thee across the trackless ocean. Thou 
 must be strong; for the journey is long and 
 rough." 
 
 For the first time since his son's confession he 
 looked at her in the old way, and laid his hand 
 upon her head. She was grateful, so humbly 
 grateful, the sobs threatened to choke her. She 
 prostrated herself before him as she prayed, 
 
 " My father, my more than father, say you for- 
 give me for all the sorrow I have brought upon 
 your honored head." 
 
 " I do forgive thee, as I hope to be forgiven 
 myself one day." 
 
 Ever after he was glad that he had looked at 
 and spoken to her kindly. He saw her go down 
 the garden path, followed by Minka. The great 
 cat never left her now, just as if she had a pre- 
 sentiment that her young mistress was about to 
 leave her forever. When she reached the little 
 gate leading into the road, Babbett ran out of her 
 kitchen and came flying after her. 
 
 " Art thou going out ? Nay, I would rather 
 thou wouldst not." 
 
 "The Herr Pastor wishes it," returned Jette. 
 She spoke humbly, as if she could never be grate- 
 ful enough for the kind consideration shown her. 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 385 
 
 " Nonsense," said the old woman crossly ; " thou 
 canst get all the air and sunshine thou needest in 
 walking around the garden here." 
 
 " I want to go to the orchard, and my own garden 
 I took care of all these years. It may be the last 
 time I shall see them. We are to go away, he 
 and I, you know, perhaps already on the mor- 
 row." 
 
 " So soon ? " ejaculated the old woman. A pallor 
 came over her tight, winter-apple-like cheek ; she 
 drew her breath in troubled gasps. " Wait," she 
 exclaimed almost fiercely; "if thou must go out 
 now, I will go with thee. I will put all my prepa- 
 rations for the evening meal under way, so it will 
 not take long to do when we come back." 
 
 " Oh, no," protested the girl. " I pray thee do 
 not put thyself out for me. Thou dear old goose ! 
 one would think I was about to start on a long 
 journey instead of a little walk almost within 
 sight of the house. Besides," she turned red, 
 hesitated, then went on quickly, " he will be 
 here to-night. Thou wilt have enough to do in 
 preparing something nice for him. Perhaps I 
 may meet the post-chaise on my way back. Thou 
 knowest the chaussee runs right by our garden 
 fence. Then I will come back with him, and help 
 thee." 
 
 For the first time Babbett saw her smile again 
 in her old bright fashion. It moved the old woman 
 strangely, as she said reluctantly enough : 
 
 " Oh, well, if that is the case, if thou goest to 
 meet him However, do not wait for him. 'T is 
 
386 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 short time enough thou wilt yet be here, and he 
 will have thee all his life long." 
 
 She gazed after her as she went off followed by 
 Minka, who with her stealthy footstep sometimes 
 trotted on before, then came back, looking at the 
 girl with her great phosphorescent eyes. And the 
 pastor from his easy-chair in the south window 
 saw them, too. He noticed that her step had re- 
 gained some of its former elasticity, her head no 
 longer drooped as if overweighted with its burden 
 of sorrow. Just where the bend in the road dipped 
 towards the valley she stopped, turned round, and 
 with a bright smile waved her hand to Babbett, 
 who still stood watching at the gate. And that 
 was the last he saw of her. 
 
 CHAPTER LIV 
 
 WITH a lighter heart then had lain in her 
 bosom for many a day, Jette descended into the 
 valley. The afternoon was moving on apace ; a 
 vaporous haze rested on the early budding trees, 
 gladly responding to the blandishments of the 
 sun. She met an old crone, the two front fangs 
 of her otherwise toothless mouth showing between 
 her withered lips. With her baleful, bleared eyes, 
 she looked the incarnation of the wicked old fairy 
 who used to frighten the fancy of our infant days. 
 Her back was bent as she supported herself on 
 a strong staff ; in the other hand she carried a 
 basket of eggs. Jette recognized her as a fre- 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 387 
 
 quent visitor to the village, a mischievous, wicked 
 old gossip, who matched Gret in the length and 
 foulness of her tongue. The crone stood still, 
 and from beneath her bent back let her baleful 
 glance travel over the girl in a triumphant, mali- 
 cious sneer. 
 
 " Aha, my little doll," she jeered, " that 's what 
 we come to when we carry our heads so high, eh ? 
 Now thou art no better than a cast-off garment 
 which nobody would stoop to for the picking up." 
 
 The girl was about to pass on without deigning 
 look or answer when a rushing little noise behind 
 her made her stop. It was Lieschen, with her 
 face grimed, and a shockingly dirty pinafore, her 
 flaxen hair streaming far behind her. 
 
 "At last I have caught you," she panted, clutch- 
 ing tight hold of the girl's dress. " Always when 
 you passed I wanted to run to you, but little 
 mother would n't let me. I saw you from the road 
 while mother was at a neighbor's, and I gave her 
 the slip, and have run all the way." 
 
 Jette stooped and took the little thing, all dirty 
 as she was, up in her arms, looking fondly at her. 
 
 " Let go the child ! " said the crone roughly ; 
 "such as thou have no business with her any 
 more." She tottered towards them, and pulled the 
 child by its dress, but the little thing kicked out 
 her legs so vigorously that one of them struck the 
 old hag squarely in the chest, causing her to reel 
 backward. 
 
 " Thou venomous little imp ! " she screamed. 
 " Wait ; if I don't tell thy mother. Such a wal- 
 
388 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 loping shalt thou have as will make thy ugly limbs 
 stiff for many a day to come." 
 
 The child clung in a frightened manner to Jette, 
 who carried her away some distance, till quite near 
 the garden fence. 
 
 " Now thou must run back home ; run as quick 
 as thou canst. I am glad that I have seen thee 
 again, dear, dear little Lieschen. Here, give me 
 another kiss, for the last time. No, not that 
 road must thou take ; that leads away from home. 
 But, this one, yes, that is right. Now let me 
 see thee use thy little legs." 
 
 She watched the child with moist eyes, glad her 
 active little limbs would out-distance the hobbling 
 hag's. But when she opened the wicket gate to 
 turn into the orchard, she did not see that the 
 child turned round, stopped, then slyly crept back, 
 that she stood for some moments trying to climb 
 the palings, and that finally she went on again, 
 wandering down the chaussee instead of choosing 
 the road home. 
 
 The encounter with the old hag had chased the 
 brightness from the girl's face. With lagging 
 steps she went on, stopping for a moment to look 
 around her. Her dress caught in a thorn-bush ; 
 she tried to disentangle it, but the thorns were 
 long and sharp ; they pierced her hands, and made 
 the blood gush forth freely. She took out her 
 handkerchief, but it was soon stained through, 
 wherever she touched herself the blood trickled 
 over. The wind flung back her mantle ; she drew 
 it together again, shivering, for it blew chill and 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 389 
 
 cold. As she did so her white fichu beneath be- 
 came stained with the crimson drops, but she did 
 not know it. She still held her handkerchief in 
 her hand, and went on till she came to the cherry- 
 tree where the doctor had hung Hans's coat, which 
 he had made her climb up to redeem. The smile 
 came back to her face as she recalled the scene. 
 He had loved her then, when she would sooner 
 have thought the skies would drop before such a 
 miracle could take place. And now she was going 
 away with him to be his wife, old tree, do you 
 hear? his wife! You never would have thought 
 that, old tree, would you ? you, upon whose 
 trusty branches his sturdy little limbs had clam- 
 bered when he was not much more than a baby, 
 and he gathered your ripe red fruit with both 
 hands, and gayly threw it down to the anxious old 
 Babbett below. How often he had told her this, 
 and of other little pranks the old tree had been 
 silent witness to. Also it had been witness of his 
 wooing, for there, right opposite, was the old syca- 
 more-tree, overshadowing the stone upon which 
 he had seated himself beside her when first he 
 drew her to his breast. Old tree, if you could 
 speak ! You who have seen the blissful ecstasy 
 of my breast, and its deepest sorrow ! Fate steals 
 along with swift noiseless footstep, while we never 
 know it is so close upon our heels. What will it 
 bring me in the coming years ? you shake your 
 branches, old tree, and don't know. You will be 
 there, straight upright at your post, when my hands 
 may not gather your gracious bounty any more, 
 
390 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 many, many years yet, after I am laid low. How- 
 ever, something I must have of you, old tree, to 
 take away with me, some tangible memento 
 which shall recall you to me, something which at 
 times I may look at, who knows ! perhaps weep 
 over, something that shall be as a shrine at 
 which to renew old scenes and memories. But 
 now you stand stiff and unapproachable, because 
 the sun has not warmed your sap yet, like in 
 the gracious summer time when you droop your 
 branches, with their tempting load, like an allur- 
 ing coquette waiting to be embraced. High up 
 there, but tantalizingly beyond my reach, there is 
 a small twig, a pretty, symmetrical thing. That I 
 will have, old tree, and it will not hurt thee, for 
 it is so small thou 'It never miss it. 
 
 She looked around her for a stout stick, long 
 enough to reach the coveted branch. But there was 
 none in sight, for in her painful neatness every- 
 thing of the kind had always been picked up and 
 carefully put out of the way. She walked over to 
 the sycamore-tree, whose hanging boughs she could 
 easily reach, and though it hurt her to despoil it, 
 she tried to break off a long branch. It crackled 
 and bent in her grasp, but it would not break. 
 She took hold of it securely ; it swayed hither and 
 thither ; finally it hung limp by a bit of bark. It 
 was wrenched off ; it had not broken. 
 
 There, where the thorns had pierced her flesh, 
 the blood broke out afresh again. She wrapped 
 her stained handkerchief around it, grasped hold 
 of her stick, and commenced to aim at the coveted 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 391 
 
 branch. A commotion, at first faint, was heard 
 coming up the road behind her. So intent was 
 she upon bringing down her prize that she paid 
 no attention to it. Nearer and nearer it came, 
 women's voices, shrill with anger, men's deeper 
 notes, gruff and stern. The stick was lowered in 
 her tight clutch; with head slightly turned and 
 breath fluttering between half opened lips, she 
 listened. Minka came and placed herself close 
 beside her, watching with gleaming eyes from 
 whence the sound came. 
 
 The sun was about to go down. A chill mist 
 arose from the distant river, glooming the land- 
 scape in a vaporous haze. The birds had ceased 
 singing, a sudden pall seemed to spread itself far 
 and near. Now she saw men and women, an 
 angry, excited mob, not many perhaps a dozen 
 in all. They were the riffraff of the village, the 
 idle, the lazy, the dissolute. Gret and her hus- 
 band were well in advance they were running, 
 the rest trailing behind, supporting the old crone 
 in the rear. When they reached the inclosure 
 they saw the girl under the bare and leafless tree, 
 the stick still grasped in her hand. A shout went 
 up from them all ; helter-skelter they leapt the 
 palings, flinging the old crone across as if she were 
 a bag of potatoes. Gret was the first to reach the 
 tree ; with venomous ire she shook her fist in the 
 girl's face. 
 
 " Lieschen ! " she shrieked. " Where is my 
 child, my sweet little one ? Jade, what hast thou 
 done with her?" 
 
392 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " I ! " stammered the girl. She was deadly 
 white ; her teeth chattered in her head. 
 
 " Aye, thou, thou, thou ! " screeched Gret, her 
 voice rising in shriller inflections, as she tried to 
 grasp hold of her arm. 
 
 " Have a care," cried some one, " the cat will 
 spring upon thee and claw thee to pieces." 
 
 The burly lout, Gret's husband, caught her by 
 the arm and dragged her back. In truth the cat 
 looked dangerous. With her fur on end, so that 
 she looked almost twice her natural size, her lips 
 drawn back in a ferocious snarl, showing the 
 gleaming teeth between, her eyes dazzling with 
 electric flashes, she crouched back ready to spring. 
 So formidable did she look that even the most 
 hulking bully carefully backed out of her reach. 
 
 "The jade is a witch," croaked the old hag, 
 " and that beast is the devil's own imp, given to 
 her as an ally. Surely, no one ever saw cat act 
 thus before." 
 
 " Aye, she is a witch. A witch of a surety, a 
 witch," was tossed from one ignorant mouth to 
 another. 
 
 " Else had she not bamboozled the pastor so," 
 cried Gret. " Thou wanton, thou madest the good 
 Frau Pastorin die so that thou couldst have thy 
 own godless way in everything up at the house, 
 thou jade, thou." 
 
 " Let us know what has become of Lieschen," 
 broke in her husband, " then thou mayest say 
 whatever is on thy evil tongue, and may it fly 
 away with thee to the devil." 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 393 
 
 " I know nothing of Lieschen," said the girl. 
 Her temples were throbbing ; her wits, usually so 
 alert, had entirely forsaken her. A scene arose in 
 her mind's eye was it not there, outside on the 
 highway, where years ago they had all but stoned 
 her to death ? Gret had been there too they 
 were children then, now they had grown up in 
 strength and ferociousness. Now the whole thing 
 would be acted over again she knew it only 
 this time there would be no awakening, only in 
 the dim shadow land where her hunted soul would 
 be at rest. Already the film of death was over 
 her eyes ; stark and rigid she stood as if turned to 
 stone. 
 
 " Dost thou mean to say," spluttered the old 
 hag, " that thou didst not draw the child to thee, 
 and took her up in thy arms, and cozened her and 
 wheedled her, and walked away to the woods with 
 her ? " 
 
 " 'T is true I took the child in my arms," replied 
 the girl, " and comforted her because she ran after 
 me and would not let me go." 
 
 " Aha ! " shrieked Gret. " What didst thou lie 
 for then, and deny thou knewest anything of her ? 
 What hast thou done with her ? Speak quick ! or 
 I will tear thy eyes out." 
 
 " I told her to go home. She went the wrong 
 way, but I called her back, and watched her run as 
 fast as she could towards home." 
 
 " How comes it, then," demanded her father, 
 " that nothing has been seen of her all the after- 
 noon? To every house in the village have we 
 
394 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 been, everybody has been questioned, no one has 
 seen her since she was with thee." 
 
 " She took her away," mumbled the old crone, 
 pointing at Jette ; " she carried her into the woods 
 I saw her. I wanted to snatch the child away 
 from her, but she would not let me, and called me 
 foul and abusive names." 
 
 " Why didst thou not come sooner and tell ? " 
 asked a hulking fellow. 
 
 " Because she is a witch, I tell thee," whimpered 
 the old hag ; " she put a murrain upon me so that 
 I stumbled and fell, breaking my basket of eggs 
 under me. Had I been lusty as thou, thou ox, I 
 should not have been so long gathering myself to- 
 gether again." 
 
 The wind blew a strand of hair across the girl's 
 face. As she raised her hand to brush it out of 
 her eyes her mantle opened, disclosing the blood- 
 stained fichu beneath. Gret's eyes fairly started 
 out of her head, and she raised her hand to point 
 an accusing finger at it. 
 
 " She has killed her ! " she shrieked ; " she has 
 murdered my baby. Oh, my darling, my little 
 one, these eyes will never, never see thee any 
 more." 
 
 "What is this?" said the father, aghast; 
 " blood, girl, upon thy clothing ! and thy hand 
 see it is stained all over." 
 
 She stared down as if bereft of her senses. A 
 shudder convulsed her from head to foot ; she flung 
 the stick from her as if it branded her skin. Her 
 handkerchief fluttered down to the ground close to 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 395 
 
 where the man stood. A cry, which swelled to a 
 roar, went up simultaneously, as all dived down to 
 pick up this indisputable evidence of her guilt. 
 Gret shrieked and wrung her hands, and was only 
 with difficulty restrained from flying at the throat 
 of the girl. 
 
 " Girl," said the father sternly, " now thou 
 shalt confess. See ! the stick is still wet and slip- 
 pery whose blood is this ? " 
 
 " Mine," she cried ; " the thorns pierced my 
 hand, see, it bleeds still. Are you all mad, 
 bereft of all reason ? Why should I hurt the little 
 innocent ? did I not nurse her through the fever, 
 and love her as if she were my own ? and now you 
 accuse me of killing her ! " 
 
 " 'T is true," they all said. They looked at 
 each other. The time when she had gone among 
 them, fearless of the scourge which had devastated 
 their homes, came back to them. 
 
 But it infuriated Gret the more. Like a red 
 rag to a mad bull was all mention of that time to 
 her when she had fled in cowardly fear, leaving 
 her sick child to the mercy of strangers. 
 
 " Thou wanton, thou ! " she screeched ; " thou 
 take care of my child ! Only too glad wert thou 
 of the opportunity to meet thy paramour, who has 
 now left thee, as thou deservest. Tell me, what 
 thou hast done with the little one, or I will tear 
 the words from thy lying tongue." 
 
 " 'T is useless to harass me further," said the 
 girl ; " as Heaven hears me, I know nothing fur- 
 ther of the child than what I have told you." 
 
396 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 " Go into the woods," croaked the old hag ; " I 
 warrant ye, ye '11 find the little body there. She 
 has killed her, and gathered the blood that she may 
 sprinkle it over the altar in her synagogue, for it 
 is near Passover time." 
 
 At this, in all her fright, the girl could not 
 help laughing, for it sounded too grotesque to 
 her. Infuriated beyond all bounds, Gret sprang 
 at her, dealing her a sounding blow on the cheek. 
 Then a fearful thing happened. Before she had 
 fairly withdrawn her hand Minka was upon her, 
 tearing, spitting, clawing, wherever she could find 
 a place. 
 
 The most frightful shrieks rent the air ; not one 
 of those present ever forgot the woman's cries of 
 agony. They broke down the trees in their frantic 
 efforts to arm themselves with something to beat 
 off the savage animal. Jette cried and implored 
 them to let her alone to manage the cat. She 
 was knocked down, trampled upon savage fists 
 beat her till she could neither see nor hear any 
 more. 
 
 " Die Post im Walde !" rang out clear and 
 shrill. A post-chaise came whirling down the 
 road as fast as the four horses, reeking with foam, 
 could bear it. In front of one of the postilions a 
 little child sat, her long fair hair streaming far 
 behind her. 
 
 " Lieschen ! " cried all with one accord. They 
 looked at each other ; they slunk away. Presently 
 there would be a fearful reckoning for them. 
 
 The father remained. His wife lay maimed and 
 
A TENT OF GRACE 397 
 
 senseless on the ground, her eyes torn out of her 
 head. But he had his little daughter back, his 
 Lieschen. He motioned the postilions to stop, and 
 the child sprang joyfully into his arms. The door 
 of the post-chaise was flung back, the doctor stepped 
 out. 
 
 " A little runaway," he said genially; " we picked 
 her up on the road and brought her back." He 
 looked into the man's face, saw the ashen pallor 
 there, his torn, disordered clothing, and the terrified 
 manner in which he occasionally turned his head 
 toward the inclosure. A peculiar, heartrending 
 sound struck upon his ear. 
 
 "Gracious Heaven," he cried, "what is that?" 
 He looked over the paling, and with one bound 
 vaulted over. There lay Minka, her head literally 
 battered in, a ferocious grin upon her dead face. 
 Quite close to her was Gret, a frightful object to 
 look upon. It was she whom the doctor had heard 
 moan. And there prone upon her face he saw her. 
 
 Upon the bed in which the Fran Pastorin had 
 died they laid her. The pastor knelt beside her, 
 his white head bowed in his hands. Babbett held 
 the cushions against the battered form, whose head 
 was pillowed on her lover's breast. Her breaking 
 eyes were looking into his breaking heart. For 
 him the sun would rise nevermore, nevermore. 
 She made an almost imperceptible gesture, but he 
 understood. He put her arms around his neck 
 those arms which had been his all of earthly bliss. 
 
398 A TENT OF GRACE 
 
 Her smile, which already saw heaven open, shed 
 a reflecting halo over his face. With a sigh which 
 received her soul on its expiring breath she laid 
 her lips upon his. As she had given him her all, 
 so she gave him her last. Her toil up the moun- 
 tain was done. 
 
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