THE 
 
 MAYFAIR 
 
 7859 MELROSE AVENUE 
 HOLLYWOOD. CALIF. 
 
 THE MAYFAIR RENTAL LIBRARY 
 BOOK No! 
 
 1. The rental charge on this book is-^a^rrr.cents per day for the first 
 7 days and 5 cents per day thereafter until book is returned. 
 
 2. Charges include day book is taken from and day it is returned to 
 library. 
 
 3. Minimum charge is 5 cents. 
 
 4. Renter is to pay full retail price of book together with rental and 
 collection charges if, for any reason, this book is not returned. 
 
 Section 623l/ 2 , Penal Code. State of California Wilful detention of 
 library books. Whoever wilfully detains any book * * or other 
 property belonging to any public or incorporated library, reading 
 room, * * for thirty days after notice in writing to return the same, 
 given after the expiration of the time which by the rules of such 
 institution such article * * mav be kept, is guilty of a misdemeanor 
 and shall be punished accordingly.
 
 AND SNATCHING OFF HER BETROTHAL RING, SHE FLUNG IT INTO THE WATER AT 
 
 HER FEET. Page 130. In the Counselor's House.
 
 IN THE ** ** ** ** ** ** <* 
 
 COUNSELOR'S HOUSE 
 
 By E. MARLITT 
 
 Author of " OLD MA'M'SELLE'S SECRET," "GOLD 
 ELSIE," "IN THE SCHILL1NGSCOURT," etc., etc. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN 
 
 BY ANNIE WOOD 
 
 A. L. BURT, PUBLISHER, 52-58 DUANE 
 STREET, NEW YORK j* * * *
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE slanting rays of the December sun played dimly across 
 a large bedroom in the Mill-house, glittered for a moment with 
 dazzling brightness on a case of surgical instruments which lay 
 exposed to view in the embrasure of the deep stone window- 
 sill, and then vanished through the thick, overhanging snow- 
 clouds in the sky. 
 
 In a corner of the room, away from the glare of the light, 
 stood a massive wooden bedstead, ornamented at the head and 
 foot with paintings of common yellow roses and bright pinks, 
 with a large feather-bed heaped high upon it, on which lay the 
 master of the house, the miller. He had just gone through an 
 operation for a tumor in the throat, which had many times 
 threatened to suffocate him; it had been a difficult and very 
 dangerous proceeding, but the clever young man who had just 
 lowered the blinds, and was arranging his instruments in their 
 case at the window-sill, had a satisfied expression on his face, 
 for the operation had been successful. 
 
 While under the influence of chloroform, the patient had 
 raved and tried to resist the hand of the doctor, at. if he were 
 fully conscious of the pain inflicted upon him; but now he lay 
 pale and exhausted upon the pillows, and very still. To speak 
 he was forbidden; yet a glance at the laconic, silent-looking 
 face, whose only beauty was the soft shining silver hair which 
 hung about it, would have convinced a looker-on that the doc- 
 tor's command was very unnecessary. 
 
 "Are you hopeful, Bruck?" asked a gentleman, in alow 
 tone, as he drew near the young doctor. Up to this moment 
 he had been standing at the foot of the bed, and his handsome 
 face still bore marks of the emotion the sight of the operation 
 had produced on one unaccustomed to such scenes. 
 
 The young doctor nodded. 
 
 " Everything is well as yet, and my patient's strong consti- 
 tution will aid and complete my work, I am convinced of 
 that/' he answered, calmly, as he turned his eyes with a satis* 
 
 2225127
 
 8 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 fied air toward the bed in the corner; " and now I must leave 
 off watching here; I am obliged to go. My patient must on 
 no account move, he must be kept very quiet everything de- 
 pends on his being still, for fear of bleeding, and 
 
 " You may depend upon me," interrupted the other, quick- 
 ly; "I shall remain here as long as the old man is in danger, 
 or it is necessary for him to be watched;" adding, " Will you 
 tell them in the villa that I shall not return to tea?" 
 
 The color deepened on the young doctor 's cheeks, and his 
 tone had a somewhat sad ring in it, as he replied: 
 
 " I can't go that roundabout way through the park, for I 
 must reach town as soon as possible. " 
 
 " But you have not seen Flora to-day, and " 
 
 " Don't you think I know that? or that it costs me nothing 
 to give her up?" and he drew his lips together, and hesitated, 
 as he put his case of instruments in his pocket. " I have 
 many sick patients to attend to to-day," he added, after a mo- 
 ment, more quietly; " Lenery's little girl is dying will die in 
 all probability to-night; I can't do anything for the child, but 
 the parents, who are worn out with nursing and anxiety, count 
 the moments until my visit, I know; the poor mother won't 
 even eat unless I make her. " 
 
 He moved to the side of the bed, the invalid raised the lids 
 of his eyes, and looked at the doctor for a moment with an 
 expression of warm gratitude shining over his sunken features 
 for the unspeakable relief the absence of the tumor gave him, 
 and feebly tried to stretch out his hand; but the doctor held it 
 quiet on the coverlid, as he repeated his injunctions that he 
 must lie completely still, and try and not move at all, adding: 
 
 " The counselor intends staying with you, Herr Sommer, 
 and will see that my orders are faithfully carried out." 
 
 The old man seemed content, turned his eyes languidly to- 
 ward the counselor, as if seeking in his face for a confirmation 
 of the doctor's words, and receiving a friendly assuring nod in 
 return, closed his eyes, as if he wished to sleep. 
 
 The doctor turned away from the bed, took up his hat, 
 shook hands with the counselor, and left the chamber. 
 
 Had an anxious loving wife been sitting by that bedside, she 
 must have felt, as the door closed behind the young man, a 
 feeling of loneliness and desolation creep over her, contrasting 
 strongly with the hope and confidence which imbued the poor 
 woman in the town whose child was dying, when an hour later 
 the doctor entered her room and persuaded her to eat the meal 
 the suffering of her little one had caused her to forget. 
 
 But by the miller's bedside no loving hand or tender worn-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S 
 
 an's anxiety had a place. The old housekeeper came in 
 quietly enough after the operation was over, arid noiselessly 
 began clearing away the disorder consequent upon the doctor's 
 visit; but she seemed more distressed at the sight of a few 
 drops of water spilled on the table-cloth than by the danger 
 and suffering of her old master. 
 
 " Do let all that alone now, missus," said the counselor, ill 
 a low but very polite tone. " The movement of those things 
 will disturb father, and the doctor ordered, before all things, 
 the most perfect quiet." 
 
 The woman did as she was bid at once, taking with her the 
 basin and towels and the unfortunate wet table-cloth to be 
 dried in the kitchen. 
 
 Now all was as silent and noiseless as it is possible for a 
 mill-house to be. From under the floor came the faint con- 
 stant recurring burr and trembling of the mills, the very 
 monotony of which was almost soothing in its effect outside, 
 the continual flapping of the water against the mill-wheel, the 
 cooing of the doves, and the rustling of the twigs as the huge 
 branches of the chestnut-trees swayed to and fro in the evening 
 breeze, could not and did not disturb the invalid on the bed, 
 for to him they were as natural as the air he breathed, or the 
 regular beatings of his own heart. 
 
 What a hard unloving face it was on which that elegant man 
 standing by the bedside was now gazing. Perhaps never be- 
 fore in the whole course of his life had the excessive plainness 
 of his face, the hard, coarse features, the thick under lip, 
 looked so distinctly repulsive as just now when the sleep of ex- 
 haustion from physical and mental suffering deepened the fur- 
 rows in the miller's countenance, and sharpened the stamp of 
 his character more clearly about the mouth. Well, the old 
 man's life had been a rough one, at all events for a great many 
 years. He had started on his career as a sort of miller's 
 errand-boy, but now he was a man who had made his way in 
 the world, and been able to coin for himself gold and position, 
 which perhaps accounted for the counselor's respectful mode 
 of speaking and calling him " father/' for there was certainly 
 no tie of relationship between them. The late banker Man- 
 gold, whose eldest daughter had married the counselor, had 
 taken for a second wife the miller's only child; and this link 
 of marriage was the only connection between the suffering old 
 man lying on the huge painted bedstead and his faithful 
 watcher. 
 
 The counselor moved away from the bedside and went over 
 to one of the windows. He was a young, energetic-looking
 
 10 IN T&E COUNSELOR'S HOUSE.- 
 
 man, but the silence and anxious watching in the sick-room 
 made him feel nervous it seemed to pain him to look at noth- 
 ing but that hard, un sympathizing countenance on the pillows, 
 and the knotted, clinched hand lying nerveless on the bed- 
 clothes, which had formerly cracked the whip over the heads of 
 the mill horses with so much force and will. He gazed out of 
 window and for a few moments idly watched the landscape 
 stretched before him. The December sun had withdrawn its 
 feeble rays, and a gray, soft light, fast fading into the dark- 
 ness of the coming night, seemed to cover the whole earth. 
 
 Just beyond the spot where it turned the mill-wheel, the 
 river made a sudden bend, and here, half hidden from view by 
 the branches of the trees, stood a square building, ugly in form 
 and appearance, the hard outlines of which gloomed strangely 
 in contrast to the graceful curves of the swaying trees in the 
 fast-approaching darkness. 
 
 It was the spinning-mill belonging to the young man stand- 
 ing by the window. He, too, was rich, employing several hun- 
 dred workmen in his manufactory, and it was this property of 
 his which had brought him into close business relations with 
 the miller. The mill itself had been built about a hundred 
 years before, and had certain privileges attached to it which 
 were in force at the present day, besides controlling so much 
 of the river that those who lived in the neighborhood were in- 
 clined to grumble at its excess on this point; and not one of 
 these rights would the miller cede so much as by one inch. At 
 first only a tenant, he had, bit by bit, as his riches increased, 
 succeeded in becoming not only owner of the mill and its water- 
 rights, but of the whole surrounding land to which it belonged. 
 He had bought the last few acres shortly before the marriage of 
 his only child to Herr Mangold the banker. The miller re- 
 garded the possession of all this property from a purely mone- 
 tary point of view; for himself he did not care to own the land, 
 and thereby increase his importance in the social scale, but 
 that his daughter might reign over it as mistress he did care, 
 and for this reason he had refused to sell the handsome villa 
 inclosed in a noble park, which formed one portion of it. 
 
 Lately the merchant had become his tenant, and, at the 
 time our story begins, occupied the villa with his family, and 
 by yielding at first to the old man's weakness about the disput- 
 ed water-rights, he had gradually fallen into the position of an 
 obedient son to his somewhat surly and ill-tempered landlord. 
 
 The factory clock had just struck four, and the gas was 
 already lighted in the offices. The air was damp and heavy, 
 s often happens before a coming fall of snow, and the gather-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 11 
 
 ing darkness intensified the brightness of the light shining 
 from the windows of the far-distant spinning-mill, as well as 
 those which were nearer at hand. The pigeons, after huddling 
 close together for awhile under the shelter of the tall trees, 
 suddenly flew away from off the branches, and hurried to roost 
 in the warm dry cover of the dove-cote. The merchant felt 
 chilly standing at the window, and turned toward the interior 
 of the room. As his eyes glanced over the apartment it struck 
 him what a very pleasant, homely looking place it was with its 
 well-worn carpet, discolored prints on the walls, and wide, old- 
 fashioned sofa inviting one to lounge in comfortable ease on its 
 soft pillows. The old servant brought in some, fresh logs of 
 wood, and replenished the dying fire in the open stove, just as 
 the last glimmer of daylight was fading through the shining 
 glass of the communicating door of the adjoining small room. 
 Behind this door stood the iron safe in which, the miller kept 
 his money and papers of value. 
 
 About an hour before the operation was to be performed the 
 sick man had made his will; and as the young doctor and the 
 merchant entered the house, they had met the lawyers and 
 witnesses to the signature on the door-step about to depart. 
 However cool and collected the outer mien of the miller had 
 been, he must inwardly have felt strangely nervous and upset, 
 for in putting away the documents he had just signed, his hand 
 shook visibly, and one of the papers remained behind on the 
 table. He did not notice this unwonted proof of oversight on 
 his own part till after the doctor and his friend had entered 
 the room, and then, as he saw it lying on the table, he begged 
 the merchant to lock it up in the safe in the adjoining cabinet. 
 On the other side of this small room there was an outer door 
 which led into the large entrance-hall, where numbers of the 
 people belonging to the mill hung about on business. 
 
 The merchant stood warming his half-frozen fingers by the 
 stove, when his eye wandered carelessly toward the inner little 
 room. He started, and for a moment wondered if he were 
 dreaming, for he saw that the door of the iron safe stood open. 
 Ah! if the miller had noticed it, what a state of anxiety he 
 would be in about his beloved gold! " K"o one can have en- 
 tered the room, " the merchant said to himself as he walked 
 into the little sanctum, " for I should have heard the slightest 
 footfall; besides, the opening of the outer door could not have 
 passed unnoticed by me," and added, as a kind of comfort to 
 his own anxiety; " however, I must see if everything is all 
 right/' 
 
 So saying, he drew back the safe-door as gently as possible.
 
 12 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 and passed in. It appeared all right, the heavy money-bags 
 of the formerly poor errand-boy stood by the side of the piles 
 of paper arranged in order, and many shining gold pieces were 
 there also. The merchant's dazzled gaze wandered in search 
 of the paper he had hastily pushed into one of the pigeon-holes 
 at the miller's request; it was a valuable document, being the 
 inventory of the whole property. He was laying it carefully 
 on the top of a packet of similar documents, when he accident- 
 ally knocked over one of the small piles of gold pieces, which 
 rolled down on to the uncarpeted floor with a clanging, clank- 
 ing sound that made him shudder. He had unwittingly 
 touched gold belonging to another, and the blood flew into his 
 face with an undefined sense of shame and vexation at his awk- 
 wardness as he stooped to pick up the scattered pieces. He 
 had barely reached one, when a large, heavy body fell on him 
 from behind, and strong bony fingers grasped his throat. 
 
 " Damn you, I am not dead yet!" hissed the miller in his 
 ear, in a strangely choked voice, as he tried to drag him out of 
 the cabinet 
 
 A tussle ensued, in which the young man had to call up all 
 his strength and elasticity of movement to shake himself free 
 from the murderous clutch of the old man on his throat. To 
 seize the miller with both hands and violently wrench his 
 fingers from their hold on his neck was the work of a moment; 
 but it required one or two more before he could recover breath 
 enough to gasp: 
 
 " Are you mad, Pater? How could you insult me with " 
 but he broke off as the sick man tottered against the wall, and 
 the white bands round his throat and chin became suddenly 
 scarlet in hue, and red drops of blood trickled fast down the 
 front of his night-shirt. 
 
 The merchant shuddered, and his face paled to an ashen- 
 gray as he saw this dangerous sign. This, then, was the bleed- 
 ing that the doctor had said must by all means be avoided. 
 " Am I in fault?" he asked himself rapidly; " am I to blame?" 
 
 "No, no," he cried aloud in answer to this unexpressed 
 thought as he sprung forward, and gently putting his arms 
 round the miller's form, would have carried him back to his 
 bed; but the obstinate old man repulsed him, and pointing 
 silently to the fallen Louis d'or, intimated his intention of re- 
 maining where he was till they were all safe in their place. 
 To the danger he ran of losing his life by this proceeding he 
 either paid no heed or forgot it in his anxiety over his money; 
 and it was not till the merchant had picked up each piece, laid 
 it on the shelf, and, locking the safe, placed the key in his
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 13 
 
 hand, that the miller with feeble, tottering steps, allowed him- 
 self to be led back to his room, and sunk exhausted and faint 
 on his bed. The moment the merchant had placed the in- 
 valid's head on the pillows, he called as loud as he could for 
 the old housekeeper and the servants. When they came in, 
 the miller's eyes were fixed in a glassy, frightened ga^e on the 
 broad purple mark the flowing blood had already made on the 
 linen sheets and pillow-case. 
 
 A messenger was dispatched with all haste to the town to 
 fetch back Dr. Bruck, while the housekeeper brought water 
 and fresh linen to try and stop the bleeding. It was all in 
 vain. The merchant pressed towel after towel on tho wound- 
 ed place, but the blood could not be suppressed. There was 
 no doubt about it, one of the arteries must have given way. 
 And how did that happen? Had the half -delirious old man 
 done it himself, or and the merchants heart gave a great 
 start had he done it when he was endeavoring to free himself 
 from the grasp of his angry assailant? " How was it possible 
 for me to tell in such a moment of agony, when he was hold- 
 ing my throat in a vise, whether I seized his shoulder, or neck, 
 or arm, to shake off his hold on me?" he thought, as he 
 watched the extreme pallor of the dying man's face. " Per- 
 haps* the sudden spring out of bed did it Bruck told him 
 everything depended on his lying still and not moving. No, 
 no, my conscience is clear on this point; it was not my fault, 
 and I can not, need not, blame myself. It is his own doing 
 entirely. I went to the safe merely to see if all was right; how 
 could he dare mistrust me, and suspect me of any such base 
 design as he seems to have harbored concerning me?" And 
 the feelings of anxiety and fright about the invalid in which 
 the merchant had hitherto indulged, now changed to one of 
 anger at the insult he had received. This was all he had got 
 in return for his kindness a kindness he would have offered 
 to any one who was weak and helpless, it is true, for his nature 
 was such that he could never refuse to forget himself for an- 
 other's good and well-being. But if he had returned home, 
 enjoyed the game of whist in his elegant drawing-room which 
 he had looked forward to all day, this unfortunate circum- 
 stance would not have happened. Instead of being here now 
 trying to stanch the fast-flowing life-blood, he might have 
 been taking a comfortable smoke ! It must have been his evil 
 genius which prompted him to take up this position of watcher 
 by the old man's bedside; and this was the awkward predica- 
 ment in which it had placed him; and as these thoughts occupied 
 his head, his hands grefr more and more wet with the stream
 
 14 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 that still continued to ooze from the lately operated-on throat. 
 How slowly the moments went by! The invalid seemed fully 
 aware of his danger, and although he could not speak, his eyes 
 wandered anxiously toward the door each time a footfall was 
 heard outside, as if he hoped for a reprieve from approaching 
 death by the appearance of the doctor, while the merchant 
 watched with painful anxiety the changes in the sick man's 
 face, which betokened, even to an inexperienced eye, that hir 
 last hour was at hand. 
 
 The housekeeper brought in the lamp, then hastened out of 
 the room again to listen for the doctor's voice; but she heard 
 nothing, and returning to the bedside she too stood watching 
 in silence the pale, exhausted face, rendered almost ghastly by 
 the flickering light of the lamp. A few minutes later the 
 miller's eyes closed, and the key he had held firmly in his hand 
 slipped from his grasp and fell on the sheet, for he had faint- 
 ed from loss of blood. Unconsciously the merchant stretched 
 out his fingers to move the key away, but the moment he 
 touched the cold steel, a shudder ran through his whole frame 
 as the thought struck him, how would the world regard the 
 late unfortunate encounter in the inner cabinet? He knew 
 that it would be whispered all over town the next morning that 
 the operation had been successful, but that the shock of seeing 
 the merchant at his strong chest had brought on the bleeding, 
 from which the miller did not recover; and that in itself would 
 be a slur on his honor, for how was he to defend himself and 
 prove the innocence of an action that would look so black in' 
 the eyes of others? the very thought that even only one slan- 
 derous tongue might remark: "Why should Herr Homer go 
 to the strong safe of the miller at all?" made his blood boil. 
 He had enemies he knew who would be very glad to believe 
 him capable of such a mean act. He smiled bitterly to him- 
 self as he remembered that bis hitherto unblemished character 
 and high repute for unswerving honor would not be sufficient to 
 exonerate him from the foul suspicion which would follow the 
 knowledge of his presence in the private sanctum at that crit- 
 ical time. The perspiration rolled from his forehead with the 
 intensity of his anguish as he stooped over the dying man, and 
 looked earnestly at him. If the miller did not recover strength 
 enough to relate the affair before his death, then the event 
 would be buried with him. " For/' thought the merchant to 
 himself, with a changed expression as he pressed his lips to- 
 gether, " I will never mention it to a human being." 
 
 Presently the watch-dog barked suddenly, and hasty steps 
 traversed the yard and mounted the staircase. For a moment
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 15 
 
 Dr. Bruck stood motionless on the threshold of the door, as if 
 turned into stone, then silently laying his hat on the table, he 
 advanced to the bedside of the dying man. What a painful 
 silence reigned in the room in spite of this fresh arrival ! 
 
 " He will come to again, won't he, Herr Doctor?" asked 
 the housekeeper, in an awed whisper. 
 
 " Hardly/' replied the doctor, looking up from a grave ex- 
 amination of the waxen face on the pillows, his own cheeks 
 white as the linen on the bed. " Control yourself," he added, 
 sternly, as Susanne seemed inclined to break into a flood of 
 weeping, " and tell me why my patient left his bed?" he add- 
 ed, as he pointed to the drops of blood on the floor. 
 
 " That must come from these soaked towels," the merchant 
 explained in a quiet, firm voice, though his face was pale to 
 the lips. 
 
 " \Vhy, of course he has not stirred from his bed, doctor; 
 how could he, poor man? and you told him yourself not to 
 move," replied Susanne. 
 
 Dr. Bruck shook his head. 
 
 " The bleeding must have been caused by some movement 
 he must have made some violent effort to " 
 
 " Not that I am aware of, I assure you," replied the mer- 
 chant, meeting the inquiring, earnest look of the doctor's eyes 
 with a tolerably steady gaze. "Besides, what do you mean 
 by staring at me like that? Do you think I would conceal it 
 from you if your patient had sprung out of bed in some de- 
 lirious fancy?" 
 
 He was determined to hold fast to the vow he had just made 
 of keeping his own counsel respecting the episode in the inner 
 room. To guard his own honor he would tell the boldest false- 
 hood, though his throat felt as if grasped in a vise as he uttered 
 the last words. 
 
 The young doctor turned silently away. Once for a mo- 
 ment the dying miller raised his eyelids and gazed vacantly be- 
 fore him, and made a slight effort to speak, but the sound from 
 his lips was only a faint murmur that had no meaning. 
 
 A few hours later, Herr Homer the merchant left the Mill- 
 house, for all was over the miller was dead. Broad strips of 
 paper were stretched over the bedroom and adjoining cabinet; 
 for as soon as the miller had breathed his last, the merchant 
 had taken care to have everything sealed up in safety before 
 his eyes.
 
 THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SLOWLY he walked through the park toward home. The 
 gleam of the lights from the Mill-house windows vanished be- 
 hind him as he went forth into the darkness, alone with his 
 thoughts. The wind swept around him sharp and piercing, 
 cold snow-flakes rested on his cheeks, but it was neither the wind 
 nor the snow which caused him to shiver as if with cold, but 
 rather the bitterness of his own reflections, and the remem- 
 brance of the last few hours' excitement. Early in the after- 
 noon, as a happy, careless man, he had passed over the same 
 path he was now treading, and a few hours later he seemed as 
 if he was burdened with the consciousness of being the innocent 
 cause of a fellow-creature's death; he who would not willingly 
 have harmed or hurt the lowest animal on the earth. He 
 knew that the only reproach he deserved was that of silence, 
 but by being silent he injured no one not one individual 
 would suffer, and bah! he would reflect about the affair no 
 longer he was weary of it. Before him streamed the bright 
 lights of the windows and doors of the lower story of his home; 
 he was nearing the villa, walking up the broad avenue of 
 linden-trees which led to the house, and he knew that, once 
 inside that pleasant shelter, life had nothing but brightness to 
 offer him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the door, 
 and turned his gloomy thoughts away from the mill and its 
 late occupant, as he shook the loose snow from his dripping 
 overcoat. In the drawing-room of the handsome villa, the 
 widow of the late President Urach had gathered around her 
 this same evening a large party of friends. 
 
 He paused a moment on the veranda, and peered through 
 the brilliantly illumined windows at the rooms inside. Mag- 
 nificent mirrors, costly velvet hangings, dazzling candelabras, 
 rich furniture, and priceless pictures on the walls met his gaze 
 on every side, and made the darkness of the night outside more 
 intense in contrast to the warmth and comfort within. A 
 gust of wind came sweeping up the avenue and dashed against 
 the window, but, strong as it was, it could not shake the firm, 
 secure sashes of the windows, or even cause the light gossamer 
 lace of the curtains to tremble as they hung. 
 
 With a kind of half -wondering astonishment the merchant 
 matched the company assembled in these rooms. He was not 
 thinking of the dark or golden hair of the women, of maiden's 
 soft eyes and blushing cheek, or of the head-dresses of the
 
 DT THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 1? 
 
 dowagers and chaperones, but of the names many of those 
 present had borne for generations. Officers of high rank, 
 members of the court, ministers, and heads of noble families 
 were sitting at the whist-tables or lounging in comfortable 
 easy-chairs by the warmth of the stove. Even the noble old 
 Dr. von Bar, the president of the medical council, was there, 
 playing a rubber of whist with the wife of a duke, the head of 
 one of the oldest ducal houses of the land. And all these peo- 
 ple were in his house, in the house of the honorable merchant 
 prince, Counselor Romer; the sparkling wine in the glasses 
 came from his cellar; the luscious red strawberries, handed 
 round by the liveried servants on crystal dishes, had been 
 bought with his money. And the grand old lady who did the 
 honors" of his house with a queenly grace and dignity becoming 
 her silver hair, was the grandmother of his late wife, for Herr 
 Homer the merchant prince was a widower. 
 
 He turned to the west side of the house, where only two 
 windows reflected the light from w&hin on the outer darkness, 
 from one of which the hanging red curtains cast a rosy glow 
 over the marble nymph at the fountain near by. The mer- 
 chant entered the hall, and giving his coat and hat to one of 
 the footmen loitering about, he opened the door of the room 
 with the red curtains. The entire apartment was furnished 
 with the same shade of color as the curtains; walls, chairs, 
 sofas, table-cloth, carpet, were all of a red hue. Beneath the 
 lamp, in the center of the room, stood a rare Japanese table 
 of ebony and gold inlaid with arabesque designs a writing- 
 table in the fullest sense of the term. On it were scattered 
 books, paper, writing materials, and a thick manuscript, on 
 the right side of which, on a small silver salver, stood an ele- 
 gant spiral glass half filled with a dark rich wine. No flowers 
 ornamented the room, nor did any bird-cage hang near the 
 window. Life-sized busts in black marble stood on pedestals 
 of the same material in the four corners, each one more severe 
 and hard in mien than the other, and one entire side of the 
 apartment was occupied by a book-case, harmonizing in color 
 and material with the Japanese table, on the shelves of which 
 beautifully bound books and folios of costly leather gave ample 
 proof of the literary tastes of the owner of this room. 
 
 When the merchant opened the door, a lady who was pacing 
 the floor with impatient but monotonous regularity stood still. 
 At a first glance fancy suggested that she must have just come 
 in from under the falling snow, she looked so white and pale 
 in the midst of that rosy surrounding. The graceful folds of 
 her long cashmere dress lightly fastened round her slender
 
 18 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 waist, might be the result of a desire for ease and comfort, or 
 the studied arrangement of the finished mistress of the art of 
 dressing; whichever it was, the form it enveloped had a noble 
 bearing and a dove-like charm that would have suited Iphi- 
 genia. Although not in the bloom of early youth, the lady 
 was very beautiful, with a soft, clear profile, mobile features, 
 and supple, rounded figure. Her very fair hair was cut short 
 and curled in close waves round her ears and throat. She was 
 Flora Mangold, and twin-sister to the merchant's late wife. 
 On the appearance of her brother-in-law she started, folded her 
 arms on her bosom, and looked anxiously in his face. 
 
 " Why are you not in there, Flora?" he asked, pointing in 
 che direction of the drawing-room with his thumb. 
 
 " How could you expect me to be there? I am not likely to 
 join grandmamma's tea-table, and knit stockings and bands 
 for old women and children," she answered, angrily. 
 
 " But the gentlemen, Flora " 
 
 " Why, they love scandal and tea as well as women, in spite 
 of their orders and epaulets. " 
 
 Herr Romer smiled. 
 
 " You have the blues, my dear girl," he said, as he flung 
 his tall form on one of the easy-chairs. 
 
 But she shook her head and threw it back with a proud gest- 
 ure, clasping her hands tightly on her bosom as, after a mo- 
 mentary hesitation, she said, breathlessly: 
 
 " Moriz, tell me the truth, did the miller die under Doctor 
 Bruck's operating-knife?" 
 
 He started. 
 
 " What an idea! You women are always for making things 
 blacker " 
 
 " Make an exception of me here/* she interrupted, with 
 again that proud movement of her head. 
 
 " Certainly, of course; but with all respect due to your 
 drains and general good sense, are you more lenient than the 
 others?" he asked, as he rose and began pacing the room. 
 This unexpected position of affairs was not to his liking. " Die 
 under Bruck's operating-knife!" he repeated in a choked 
 voice. " I tell you that the operation took place about two 
 o'clock, and the man died a couple of hours after. Besides, I 
 can't understand how yon can bring yourself to express such a 
 hard thought, Flora, let alone saying it in that hard, unsym- 
 pathizing manner. " 
 
 "I am just the one to say it," she replied, stamping her 
 foot on the soft thick carpet. " I who can't bear secretive- 
 of any kind, you know that. I am too proud, and too
 
 IN THE COTJNSELOK'S HOUSE. 19 
 
 impatient and outspoken to know of another's faults and con- 
 ceal them, be that other who he may! But don't imagine I 
 don't suffer, for I do. It's as if a knife had been driven 
 through my heart. You say I am unsympathiziag. In my 
 opinion, to sympathize with ignorance and want of knowledge 
 in a man's profession is simply absurd and impossible. And 
 you know quite as well as I do, Moriz, that Doctor Bruck'a 
 reputation as a clever physician has considerably suffered 
 through his failing to cure Countess Wallendorf. " 
 
 " But the good woman would not give up her fondness for 
 savory pasties and champagne." 
 
 " That's what the doctor says. Her relatives are pleased to 
 differ with him." Then pressing her hands to her brow as if 
 her head" ached, she added: " Do you know, Moriz, that when 
 the sad news reached us here that the miller was dead, I rushed 
 out into the open air to breathe, I felt so overcome? All the 
 neighborhood knew the old man, and every one was interested 
 in the success of the operation. And if, as you say, he did 
 not sink at the moment under Doctor Bruck's operating-knife, 
 people will justly remark that with his strong constitution he 
 might have lived on much longer if it had not been done. You 
 can't deny that you had the same conviction. Yon should see 
 how white you are from inward emotion." 
 
 The door opened, and the mistress of the house appeared on 
 the threshold. In spite of her seventy years she was a won- 
 derfully young-looking grandmamma still. Nothing about 
 her betokened her age, she did not even wear the full, loose 
 cape that ladies of advanced age generally adopt, but her 
 shoulders were covered with a lace fichu folded across her 
 bosom, and fastened at the waist, and over a silver-gray silk 
 dress, which was beautifully made, a black Spanish lace polo- 
 naise fell in rich folds to match the fichu. Her hair, which 
 was so little gray that its golden color was still visible, was 
 dressed in puffs above her forehead, and her head was orna 
 mented with a soft tulle veil, the ends of which were fastened 
 under her chin to hide her throat and ears. 
 
 She was not alone. With her came a rather undersized and 
 excessively thin girl. She was not exactly out of proportion, 
 but the painful absence of roundness in her form suggested 
 there was something amiss in her figure, and that she was far 
 younger than her fully developed face of four-and-twenty be- 
 tokened. The three women bore a strong family likeness to 
 each other, so marked in each feature that a mere casual ob- 
 server would have guessed the relationship at. a first glance 
 only the youngest had a broader and more determined chin,
 
 20 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 and her profile was sharper and more defined. Her com- 
 plexion, moreover, was unhealthy, and her lips had scarcely a 
 tinge of color. Her fair hair was ornamented with bright-col- 
 ored velvet, and her evening-dress was elegant and costly; but 
 at her side, where ladies usually carry some dainty device for 
 holding their handkerchief, this young maiden had placed a 
 small willow basket, softly lined with blue satin, in which sat 
 a little canary-bird. 
 
 " Henriette, I won't have it," cried Flora, angrily, as the 
 songster left its nest and flew straight as an arrow over her 
 head. " I will not allow it, indeed you ought to leave your 
 menagerie outside. " 
 
 " But, Flora, my pet Hans has neither elephant's feet nor 
 horns growing on his head, he won't hurt you," replied the 
 little lady patiently. " Come here, Hans, come," she added 
 coaxingly to the bird, which had perched on an ornament on 
 the ceiling, and in answer to her call flew back and settled on 
 her outstretched forefinger. 
 
 Flora shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " I don't understand you, grandmamma," she said, sharp- 
 ly. " How can you tolerate such foolish childishness in Hen- 
 riette. The next thing she will do will be to bring all the 
 doves and rooks into the drawing-room." 
 
 " Ah, yes and why not, Flora?" the girl answered, laugh- 
 ingly, showing her small white teeth. " Our friends have to 
 tolerate you very often with a pen behind your ear and no end 
 of learned " 
 
 " Henriette!" exclaimed the old lady, in a reproving tone. 
 
 Every movement of hers was queenly in grace and dignity, 
 and as she laid her hand on the merchant's arm and said: 
 " We have just heard that at last you have returned home, 
 Moriz," there was a very winsome charm about her manner 
 that was not to be easily resisted. " Shall we have to wait for 
 your presence among us much longer?" she asked in her still 
 musical, soft voice. 
 
 Ten minutes ago the merchant had decided on getting into 
 his dress-coat as quickly as possible and joining his guests; 
 but now he said, hesitatingly, and in an under-tone: 
 
 " Dearest grandmamma, you must kindly excuse me for to- 
 night. The affair at the mill 
 
 " Yes, that is sad enough, very sad. But I don't see why 
 we need grieve over it. I really can not understand how it is 
 possible for me to excuse your non-appearance among our 
 guests. " 
 
 " Surely our friends can not be so obtuge as not to bo able
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 21 
 
 to understand that Kathe's grandfather is dead," remarked 
 Henriette over her shoulder, as she carelessly turned the pages 
 of a book in her hand. 
 
 " I wish, Henriette, that you would keep your impertinent 
 observations to yourself/' replied her grandmamma. "You 
 really ought not to have such very bright ribbons in your hair. 
 Kathe is your step-sister, but neither Moriz nor I consider the 
 connection with the miller close enough to be acknowledged 
 publicly, however much we may grieve over his death. And 
 besides," she added, firmly, " the less said about this affair the 
 better, for Doctor Brack's sake. " 
 
 " Good heavens, how unjust you all are to the doctor!" ex- 
 claimed the counselor, hotly. " He is not to blame in this 
 matter at all; he did all in his power; brought all his surgical 
 skill" 
 
 " On that point, dear Moriz, you should hear the opinion of 
 my old friend, Doctor von Bar," interrupted the old lady, tap- 
 ping him lightly on the shoulder and nodding significantly 
 toward Flora who had walked over to the writing-table. 
 
 " Oh, you need not mind me, grandmamma! Do you think 
 I am so blind and deaf as not to see and hear which side Bar 
 takes?" cried the beautiful girl, bitterly, while her lips trem- 
 bled nervously. " Besides, Doctor Brack has condemned him- 
 self, inasmuch as he has not ventured to come into my pres- 
 ence this evening." 
 
 Henriette had been standing up to this moment with her 
 back toward the others. Now she turned suddenly round and 
 faced them, her usually pale cheeks glowing scarlet for one 
 moment, but whiter than ever the next, as she fixed her large 
 flaming eyes on her sister's with a strangely mixed expression 
 of shy terror and hate burning in them. 
 
 " Well! he will be able to refute your suspicions, for he will 
 be here presently, Flora," observed the counselor, greatly re- 
 lieved. " He will explain to you how terribly busy he has 
 been all day. You know that lie has several patients danger- 
 ous ill in town, besides that poor little girl Leuery, who is 
 dying now." 
 
 The young lady uttered a mocking, bitter laugh. 
 
 " Dying, you say? Really, Moriz? Doctor von Bar told 
 me only to-day that he saw the child yesterday, and thought 
 the accident a very slight one; he feared, however, that Bruck's 
 course of treatment was hardly wise; and you know Doctor 
 von Bar is an authority. " 
 
 "An authority full of bitter jealousy," said Henriette, 
 slowly, with her vibrating voice. Then going suddenly close
 
 22 IN THE COUNSELORS HOUSE. 
 
 to her brother-in-law, and laying her thin hand on his 
 she added: " Give up trying to convince Flora. You see ho\< 
 determined she is to prove her lover in fault." 
 
 "I? You unkind girl! I would give half my fortune if I 
 could feel now the proud confidence in Doctor Brack's skill I 
 did when first we were engaged/' cried Flora, passionately. 
 " But since Countess Wallendorf 's death, I have borne in 
 silence the terrible agony of doubt and suspicion now I need 
 doubt no longer I am convinced. I am not one of those 
 women who love blindly and never ask themselves if the be- 
 loved one is worth sacrificing one's self for. I am ambitious, 
 very ambitious, that you all know, and without this quality I 
 should just be like the rest of my sex. God forbid! How any 
 clever, aspiring woman can be content to go through life by 
 the side of an obscure and unknown husband is a mystery to 
 me, I can not understand it; if I had it to bear I should blush 
 each time I looked my fellow-beings in the face. " f 
 
 "Oh, no; you think you would be so bashful? Ah! ha! 
 It would require more courage than standing before an assem- 
 bly of forward students, and reading a paper on metaphysics 
 or some such subject," remarked Henriette in a mocking tone. 
 
 Flora gave her sister a scornful glance as she replied : 
 
 " Such a little viper as you one must not mind. What do 
 you know of the ideal?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders. 
 " But you are right in thinking that I would rather find my 
 place at the lecturing desk of a college than by the side of a 
 man who made a failure of his profession such a mortifica- 
 tion I could not endure. " 
 
 " That is your own affair entirely, child,*' said her grand- 
 mother, wearily, as the merchant moved uneasily up and down 
 the room. " You must please to remember that no one either 
 urged or obliged you to engage yourself to this man. " 
 
 ' I know that, grandmamma. I know, too, that you would 
 far rather have seen me married to the bankrupt lord cham- 
 berlain Von Stellon; and I think you also know that I will 
 never allow myself to be influenced by any human being re- 
 garding what I think right for me to do." 
 
 " And no one will try, my dear/' answered her grand- 
 mother with marked coldness. " There is only one thing I 
 wish you to remember, and that is that I shall not spare you 
 if you decide on making this affair public. You know me 
 well, and that I will bear anything rather than be exposed to 
 a family scandal or a slur on our name. I live among you all, 
 and I am at the head of this house, and for this very reason 1
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 23 
 
 mil not have people whispering and talking about us, so I hope 
 and trust, my dear, you will not fail in your respect to me." 
 
 The merchant suddenly ceased his restless march up and 
 down the room and stood still by the window, drawing aside 
 the curtain to look out into the night. The wind had risen 
 considerably, and was swaying the young trees around the lawn 
 till they were nearly snapped asunder, and the snow-flakes 
 rushing through the air, dyed blood-color from the red glim- 
 mer of the lamp shining on them, harmonized well with the 
 racking thoughts tearing through his aching head. At first he 
 had been strongly tempted to tell Flora the whole truth about 
 the affair, but now he knew that he dared not utter a syllable, 
 simply because the noble old lady would leave his house direct- 
 ly his confession was made, rather than be subjected to the 
 whispering and comments of the neighborhood which would 
 inevitably follow; for he was obliged to acknowledge to him- 
 self that the beautiful ambitious girl would tell the whole story 
 rather than allow it to be imagined sJie could care for a man 
 whose professional skill was open to doubt. 
 
 Meanwhile Henriette drew forward, her slight, misshapen 
 figure as erect as possible, her eyes flashing with scorn and pas- 
 sion as the said, looking straight at her grandmother: 
 
 " So it's only to avoid people's tongues that you are anxious 
 my sister should come blameless out of this affair? It will be 
 well for her if she does. You will forgive her if she masks 
 her faithlessness with a worldly motive; you have no need to 
 be so afraid of discovery, grandmamma. One has only to live 
 in the world as we do to know that society has so many faults; 
 it is like rare and curious old china, the more it is cracked and 
 cemented the more valuable it becomes." 
 
 " You had better go to your room for the rest of the even- 
 ing, Henriette," replied her grandmother, in a grave, warning 
 voice. " I will not allow you to return to the drawing-room 
 While you are in this bitter and impertinent temper." 
 
 " Very well, grandmamma! Come, Hans, we will go with 
 pleasure," she answered, laughing and rubbing her cheek 
 against the bird's downy plumage; " you too dislike the old 
 ladies belonging to the court, and the great medical authority 
 Doctor von Bar, I know you hate him and peck his fingers 
 whenever he offers you sugar, you dear, brave little darling! 
 Good-night, grandmamma; good-night, Moriz!" adding, as 
 she suddenly paused ere reaching the door: " It is to be hoped 
 that Flora will bethink her to follow the path that dear papa, 
 iiad he been alive, would have sternly insisted on. With alj 
 her present boast of doing as she likes, she would not haw
 
 84 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 dared to utter such a sentiment in his life-time. He would 
 never have encouraged her to break her word to an honorable 
 man." 
 
 Sadly shaking her head she left the room, but had hardly 
 passed the threshold when the hot tears, which she had scarce- 
 ly been able to keep back while she spoke, rolled quickly down 
 her cheeks. 
 
 "What a blessing she has gone!" said Flora. "It really 
 requires all one's forbearance not to lose patience with her." 
 
 " I never forget that she is an invalid," remarked the elder 
 Jady, dryly. 
 
 "And to a certain extent she is right hi what she says, 
 Flora," the merchant ventured to observe. 
 
 " You may think as you please, Moriz," replied the young 
 lady, coldly. " All I beg of you is not to meddle with me, 
 and thus make matters harder for me to bear. As I said be- 
 fore, I don't wish for any advice; I mean to act as I think 
 best in this affair. You and grandmamma may be quite at 
 ease about me; I punish myself in being hard but I have one 
 silent ally, and that is time. " 
 
 She lifted the spiral glass off the table and raised it to her 
 lips, drinking part of the rich wine it contained, while her 
 grandmother without a word more slowly left the room. 
 
 " Apropos, Moriz," said the elder lady, appearing in the 
 room again, " what becomes of Kathe?" 
 
 " We must wait for the reading of the will, to know exact- 
 ly, " replied her son-in-law, in a more cheerful tone than he 
 had yet spoken. " I have no idea how the miller has arranged 
 matters. Kathe is his sole heiress by law, but if he has made 
 her so in his will remains to be seen. He always resented her 
 being alive at all, because her mother died at her birth. In 
 any case, she will have to come here for a little while." 
 
 " There you are mistaken, the girl won't come; she is as 
 *ond of her old governess now as she was in papa's time," said 
 Flora. " You should only read her letters." 
 
 " Well, perhaps it is better that she remain where she is,'* 
 observed the elder lady pleasantly. " To be honest, I am not 
 so anxious to have her under my care. I never could take to 
 her, not because of your father's second wife, Flora that I 
 have never allowed but she was always wandering about the 
 mill, and getting her hair and clothes covered with flour, and 
 was ever a willful little creature. " 
 
 Yes, a perverse little rebel belonging to the people, and 
 
 ipa's darling, " said Flora, with a sarcastic smile. 
 Tery likely, my de<w, because she was the youngest,"
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 25 
 
 remarked her grandmother, who never would allow that any 
 one belonging to her family was neglected. " He petted you 
 all in turn. Do you mean to come, Moriz?" 
 
 " Yes,'* he said, hastily, as he left the room with the elderly 
 lady. 
 
 As soon as she was alone, Flora rang the bell, and when the 
 lady's-inaid appeared in answer to the summons, said: " I 
 think I will go at once to my bedroom and work there! Just 
 carry this inkstand and paper with you, and lay them on the 
 table; I will see no one else this evening." 
 
 The red reflection on the snow vanished, but the white lights 
 from the drawing-room streamed out into the avenue till long 
 after midnight. When the merchant appeared among his 
 guests he was greeted with such warmth and delight by every 
 one present, and so much regret was expressed at his unavoid- 
 able absence in the early part of the evening, that his op- 
 pressed heart grew light, and as he looked first at one and then 
 at the other, and met eyes beaming with confidence and re- 
 gard, he began to feel at ease with his conscience and to let the 
 scruples of the last few hours fade into oblivion. He sat at 
 the whist-table and played with his usual skill, but he did not 
 yet venture to comfort himself with the assurance that his 
 silence had done no harm. By holding his tongue he had 
 separated two people who had promised to become one over 
 the betrothal-ring. But bah! Flora was such an odd girl. 
 Bruck would be sure to gain distinction yet, and then perhaps 
 Flora would change her mind again. He lifted a glass of cost- 
 ly wine to his lips, and therewith his last scruple vanished. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 As was expected, the miller had left all his property and 
 fortune to his orphan grandchild, Kathe Mangold, appointing 
 Counselor Homer, who had been for some years the girl's 
 guardian, as his sole executor. The counselor could hardly 
 suppress a start of surprise when the will was read, at the ex- 
 treme confidence the old man placed in him, by giving him 
 almost unlimited power over his ward's fortune. He could 
 scarcely believe it possible, when he remembered that, an hour 
 after signing this testament, the miller had accused him of 
 trying to rob his coffers, and by his own rash suspicion turned 
 the doubt which had necessitated the making a will into a cer- 
 tainty. The will declared that, in the event of the operation 
 OTI his throat proving fatal, he wished all the landed property 
 e possessed to be sold, with the exception of the flour-i
 
 JB6 IN THE COUNSELOR'S SOUSE. 
 
 house attached. The reason for this exception was in the fact that 
 it was the mill which had made his fortune, and even if his grand' 
 child was as " proud and haughty as her step-sister," she need 
 not be ashamed of owning such a place when the time arrived 
 for her to marry. The estate was to be divided into various 
 portions, and sold to different buyers. Forest, fields, and even 
 the meadow-land and orchard were each to be purchased by 
 a different person. As regarded the villa and park, the mer- 
 chant was to have the refusal of that portion of the property 
 if he felt so inclined, reserving it as his own possession, with 
 the additional sum of five thousand thalers, free of tax. This 
 Hve thousand thalers was bequeathed to the merchant, not so 
 much as compensation for the trouble he might have with the 
 management of the vast property, but as a mark of the testa- 
 tor's gratitude for his kindly friendliness, and for being more 
 like a relative to the lonely old man than the " other inmates 
 of the villa." The proceeds of the sale of the estate were to 
 be invested out in such manner as Kathe's guardian thought 
 best, since the testator would lay no restrictions on a man 
 whose incorruptible honor he had never known to be at fault. 
 
 Kathe Mangold had not seen her home for six years. "When 
 her father was dying he extracted a promise from her future 
 guardian, that she should go and live with the governess who 
 had brought her up, and taken the place of the mother the 
 child had lost at her birth. This lady was about to marry and 
 settle in Dresden, and Kathe's papa, the banker Mangold, 
 knew that his little pet daughter would be much happier if he 
 left her under the care of her old governess, than if she re- 
 mained at home with her grown-up step-sisters. So little 
 Kathe went to live in Dresden, and as the years passed on she 
 was never invited to pay a visit to her old grandfather at the 
 mill, who could never forget that the birth of this child caused 
 She death of his only daughter, the only human thing he had 
 aver loved. Now the old man was dead, the time had arrived 
 for Kathe to return to her home. In answer to her guardian's 
 letter announcing the contents of the will, the girl's only re- 
 quest had been that the large corner room in the Mill-house 
 with the small cabinet adjoining might be left exactly as it 
 had been in her grandfather's life-time, which request had of 
 course been attented to. 
 
 It was the middle of March, and the snow was not all 
 melted away, when a young lady left the narrow streets of 
 the town, and turned up the broad road leading to the castle 
 mill. The melting snow had made the roads very dirty, the 
 wheels of the carts heavily laden with flour-bags had left deep
 
 nr THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 27 
 
 all along the route, but the pretty feet shod in veil-made 
 6oots did not seem to take much heed about the dirty state of 
 the footpaths. Holding up her black silk dress as far as her 
 slight well-rounded ankle, so as to avoid sprinkling it with 
 mud, the girl trotted briskly along, the color deepening in hei 
 cheeks from the unwonted quickness of her movements. A 
 loose black velvet jacket lined with fur could not hide the 
 graceful outline and full development of her bust and figure, 
 and a small hat of marten fur slightly drawn off the forehead, 
 showed off to perfection the glossy shimmer of her light brown 
 hair. The face was by no means classical in beauty, the nose 
 was too short, the mouth too large, the dimpled chin a thought 
 too firmly set, the eyebrows not sufficiently arched to form a 
 perfectly beautiful face; but the delicate oval of the cheeks, 
 the rich full lips, the white lids of the sparkling eyes fringed 
 with dark lashes, the fresh glow of the complexion, the sweet 
 innocence of her expression, fully atoned for any want in 
 regular outline of feature, and made Kathe Mangold's bright 
 young face a very attractive object to gaze upon. 
 
 The young lady entered the court-yard of the castle mill, 
 and looked around her. 
 
 The sun was shining brightly on the grand old walls of the 
 Mill-house, making the massive stones of which they were 
 built appear grayer and older than they were in reality. The 
 last portion of snow had slipped from the roof during the 
 night, leaving the gray slates clean and dazzling in the noon- 
 day sun; the resin oozing from the buds was glittering like 
 diamonds on the moving branches of the chestnut-trees, and a 
 number of pigeons were cooing somewhere near. Just in front 
 of her, on the doorstep of the workmen's eating-room, sat a 
 man covered with white flour, devouring huge mouthfuls of 
 bread and cheese. 
 
 At the stranger's approach the dogs in the court-yard set up 
 a loud barking, but not a whit frightened, the young lady 
 called out in a coaxing tone: 
 
 " Be quiet, Mohr! Watcher!" At the sound of her voice 
 the animals only barked the louder, and tried hard to break 
 away from their chains. 
 
 " What do you want?" asked the man, slowly, and with 
 difficulty rising from the doorstep. 
 
 The girl smiled gayly as she replied: 
 
 " I want nothing but to say how do you do, Franz. Where's 
 your wife?" 
 
 " Surely it can't be our young lady?" said the man, flinging 
 down his knife and bread, as a broad smile lighted up his face,
 
 28 iff THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 and he gazed into the new-comer's countenance with ah expres- 
 sion of astonishment blended with unfeigned delight that made 
 the laughing girl blush with pleasure. 
 
 In the years gone by, when Kathe was a little girl, she had 
 been called by the hands at the mill the " mill mouse," from 
 her love of creeping about the granaries and work-rooms when- 
 ever the foreman of the works would allow her to follow him 
 in the discharge of his duties. 
 
 " Very curious," remarked the man half to himself, who 
 was no taller than the girl before him. " It's very curious; 
 the dimples in the cheeks and the eyes are the same, but how 
 tall she is! And now she's mistress here," he added, as he 
 glanced somewhat shyly at the slight girlish figure before him. 
 ' She takes after her grandmother. Be quiet there, you 
 beasts!" he thundered, holding up his fist at the dogs, who 
 were barking as if they were mad with joy. " The creatures 
 remember you, I do believe, my honored young lady " 
 
 " Better than you do, Franz, the dear fellows!" she an- 
 swered, interrupting him, and going toward the animals she 
 began caressing them with her hand. "But why do you ad- 
 dress me as ' honored,' Franz? I have not become noble in 
 Dresden, I can assure yon." 
 
 " But the ladies at the villa like to be addressed in that 
 manner," he remarked in answer, looking inquiringly at her. 
 
 " Do they?" 
 
 " Yes, and you, miss, are a great deal higher than they are. 
 So young and already so rich, so enormously rich! The mill 
 there, the best in all the land. Zouuds, that's enough for any 
 one! And you only a girl, hardly eighteen yet, and master 
 of such a mill! It's wonderful, wonderful!" 
 
 The maiden laughed aloud. 
 
 " Well, it belongs to me now, and won't I worry you to 
 death, you dear old Franz! Where is Susaune?" 
 
 " She is in her room; she's bad again, poor old body. The 
 housekeeping becomes hard for her now. Doctor Bruck is 
 with her. " 
 
 The young lady gave him her hand and turned away and 
 entered the house. The heavy oak door closed with a bang 
 behind her, making the walls shake with the clash and noise, 
 and the dust fly up in showers about her. As she passed on 
 through the corn-room into the house, the perfume of the 
 grain arrested her attention, and caused her to pause, bringing 
 back to her memory the time she had lived in this house as a 
 \ittle girl. For a moment the bright color fled from her
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 29 
 
 cheeks, and her steps faltered as she thought of the difference 
 between her childhood and her present position. 
 
 Yes, she had always loved to " creep about " the mill, as 
 the old lady in the villa had remarked, and with a sigh she 
 remembered how of ten " dear papa" had shaken the flour 
 from her long hair and frock, as he kissed her and called her 
 his white little mill mouse. The gloomy old man, h3r grand- 
 father, who so rarely spoke to her and never loved her, out of 
 whose way she would run into Susanne's bright kitchen or slip 
 away to Franz in his room, perhaps, if he could see her now, 
 might forgive her for being the cause of his daughter's death, 
 since she had grown so like her grandmother. 
 
 She. passed on and came at last to the corner room, but tho 
 door was locked, so, not being able to enter, she turned aside 
 down a email corridor and had just reached the top of a back 
 flight of steps, when the sound of a complaining voice arrested 
 her attention. 
 
 "This must be Susanne's bedroom/' she thought, as she 
 opened the door without knocking and walked in. 
 
 It was a miserably poor uncomfortable room, dark and 
 damp and with scarcely any furniture worth mentioning. A 
 warm sickly current of air greeted her as she entered, and the 
 first thing that she saw in the dim light was the tall broad- 
 shouldered figure of a man standing with his back toward her. 
 He was evidently just about to depart, for he had his hat and 
 stick in his hand. 
 
 " That must be Doctor Bruck," the girl thought to herself. 
 " Franz said he was with Susanne." 
 
 And then she remembered that her guardian had written 
 some six months ago and informed her of the engagement of 
 her beautiful half-sister Flora to a young doctor, who had 
 loved her from the time he was a student, though of course he 
 had not told his love to the rich proud girl till he had some- 
 thing of a position to offer her. Since then Kathe had heard 
 no more about the young couple, and had forgotten the circum- 
 stance till the mention of Dr. Bruck's name by Franz and 
 finding him here by Susanne's bedside brought him back to her 
 memory. It was either the rustling of her silk dress or the 
 sweet breath of pure air she brought in with her which caused 
 the tall figure to turn suddenly round and open his eyes in 
 astonishment at the figure standing in the door-way. 
 
 " Doctor Bruck? I am Kathe Mangold," the girl said, 
 hurriedly; then, not waiting for him to speak, she moved 
 quickly to the bedside, and stretched out both her hi*nds to 
 the old woman propped up on the Billows.
 
 30 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Susanne stared at the young lady in dull surprise. 
 
 " I have walked in like the fresh air, haven't I, dear Su- 
 sanne? And at the right time, too/' she said, cheerfully, as 
 she smoothed the gray hair on the old woman's forehead, and 
 pushed an untidy lock into its place under her night-cap. 
 
 flow can you like to be in such a wretched room as this? 
 The stove smokes and I can see the mildew on the walls. 
 How can you prefer such a garret to the nice corner chambei ? 
 Did no one tell you you were to have that room, and sleep in 
 the cabinet at the side?" asked the girl, as a slight frown 
 dimmed the smile on her lips. 
 
 " Yes, the counselor said I was to go there, but I should 
 grow silly if I sat in that room all day alone like a grand lady, 
 or I should become like the poor dear master, now dead and 
 gone." 
 
 The young lady bit her lip to keep from laughing. 
 
 " But, Susanne, when grandpapa was alive yeu could sit 
 there if you liked, you know. Your spinning-wheel used to 
 stand in the window and I can remember many a time put- 
 ting it out of order and on the drawers stood your work- 
 basket. Doctor," she said, suddenly moving nearer the young 
 man, " will it do her any harm if she changes her room?" 
 
 " By no means I have urged the same thing, but my pa- 
 tient opposes me at every turn," he replied, with a shrug of 
 his shoulders, in a sonorous but well modulated voice. 
 
 " Then there's no need to lose any time," said Kathe, de- 
 cidedly, as she took off her gloves and jacket and laid them on 
 the bed. 
 
 " Nbthing'll make me go there," exclaimed the old house- 
 keeper. " Don't, please don't, Fraulein Kathe/' she begged, 
 in a whining tone. " That room is the apple of my eye ever 
 since I heard you were coming I have scrubbed and cleaned it 
 from morning till night, to make it nice for you only the day 
 afore yesterday I put clean curtains up. No, no, I can't go, 
 I won't." 
 
 " Very well, you can do as you like. I did intend asking 
 you to give me a cup of coffee in the mill this afternoon, as 
 you used to do when I was a child. However, as you are so 
 obstinate, I sha'u't come at all, of that you may be quite sure. 
 
 I shall only stay a mouth in M , and then you may let any 
 
 one you like sleep hi the clean room with the fresh curtains; I 
 don't care!" 
 
 That was enough; the girl's manner was so cool and deter- 
 mined that the young doctor judged this was not the first time 
 Bhe had had to manage a v, avward invalid.
 
 31 
 
 Susanne sighed, bat she slowly put her hand under the 
 pillow and drew forth a key which she laid on the sheets. 
 
 Kathe quietly took it up, and going over to the wood-basket 
 by the stove, said, as she lifted two or three of the billets in 
 her strong young arms: 
 
 " Wait a little, while I light the fire in the corner room." 
 
 " No, that you can't do, I'm sure," said Dr. Bruck quickly, 
 as he glanced expressively at her elegant toilet at the same 
 time laying his hat and stick on the table. 
 
 " Then I ought to be ashamed of myself if I can't/' she re- 
 plied, earnestly, but with heightened color, for she had re- 
 marked the young man's doubtful look. 
 
 She- left the apartment and a few moments later the fire was 
 burning brightly in the stove of the corner room, while Dr. 
 Bruck, who had followed her, opened the windows, in order 
 that the fresh spring air might chase away the close atmos- 
 phere of the place. 
 
 " I beg you to notice, Doctor Bruck, that I have lighted the 
 fire, and that my hands are still presentable for a drawing- 
 room," remarked Kathe after awhile as she held out her 
 slender rosy- tipped fingers for his inspection, with a mocking 
 smile playing around her mouth. 
 
 He glanced at the young girl, and answered her smile with 
 one as full of expression and fun as her own, but he did not 
 reply in words. He was trying to close one of the windows, 
 through which the wind came with so much force that it blew 
 the hair from off Kathe's temples and disarranged one of the 
 curtains at the other side of the room. 
 
 " Shut it quick, or the other curtains will come to grief," 
 laughed Kathe, catching at the muslin and holding it back till 
 the window was closed; then adding in a vexed tone, but with 
 her eyes full of earnest feeling: 
 
 " Poor old Susanne! if she could guess how little I appre- 
 ciate these clean curtains! I suppose I must let them remain 
 though, as they were put up expressly for me but the idea of 
 muslin before such windows, and in this handsome mediaeval 
 room, too! It's too bad, indeed it is! And T have been dream- 
 ing that I would like to have this apartment refitted in the 
 style of three hundred years ago with round oriel windows, 
 and folding oak seats here in these recesses, and the heavy 
 door ornamented with iron, for I am convinced that it was 
 there once, and that grandpapa had it removed you can see 
 the marks of the old iron straps. And now there will have to 
 be instead a spinning-wheel in this window, with old Susaune 
 on a chair beside it!" and she signed after a moment, adding;
 
 82 nr THE COUXSELOK'S norss. 
 
 " I had planned it all out so nicely, and now I know flhft 
 won't let me touch it." 
 
 " But I don't understand you are the mistress here, are 
 you not?" asked the doctor, hesitatingly, and looking at this 
 girl with one of his grave searching glances. 
 
 " Oh, yes, I know that, hut I shall never be able to assert 
 my authority in such matters, I am convinced beforehand I 
 am a born coward," she replied, in a low tone, but the con- 
 trast between this meek confession and the bright fearless 
 bearing of the young lady appeared so ludicrous that it was 
 not till the doctor had glanced again into the shy soft brown 
 eyes that he could believe she spoke the truth concerning her 
 want of courage to assert her authority respecting any wishes 
 of her own. 
 
 Quietly moving from the window, Kathe began arranging 
 the furniture for the comfort of the invalid. The large broad 
 sofa was turned into a bed, her grandfather's old leather arm- 
 chair was drawn out of the draught by the window and placed 
 nearer the stove, a little table was fetched from the adjoining 
 cabinet and put by the chair, as also a rather high foot-stool, 
 which she discovered in one of the corners, all of which Kathe 
 did in a quick independent way, as if she were accustomed to 
 do this kind of thing every day of her life. It almost seemed, 
 as she flitted about the room, as if she must have forgotten the 
 presence of the young man standing in the embrasure of the 
 window. But presently she opened the top drawer of the 
 press, and took out a white linen table-cloth bordered with 
 red, which she unfolded and spread over the table by the eisy- 
 chair, saying, as she turned her face partly toward him: 
 
 " There is something very pleasant in this old-fashioned 
 order. Everything remains in its own place, just as it used 
 to be in the good old time. It was all so before I was born, 
 and see, nothing has changed during my six years' absence 
 how home-like it is!" 
 
 Then pointing to the mirror over the low antique press, she 
 added: 
 
 " And there's a corner of the almanac sticking out from 
 behind the frame-work of the glass on which grandpapa wrote 
 his memoranda, and up above there still hangs his rod with 
 the faded ribbons which many a time used to make my mother 
 tremble." 
 
 " And you, too?" 
 
 " Oh, no, he never took enough notice of poor little me to 
 eare whet I did," replied Kathe, with an air of amused resig- 
 nation, as she began dustiig the window-ledges with the long
 
 feather brush. " We must have flowers here on this window- 
 seat," she remarked, after a moment's pause; "poor eld 
 Susanne will enjoy their perfume. I will beg a hyacinth and 
 a pot of violets from my brother-in-law, he has so many in his 
 printer garden, and " 
 
 11 You will have to ask old Madame Urach first; the winter 
 garden is her pet amusement, and no one touches a flower 
 without her sanction. " 
 
 Kathe opened her eyes wide with astonishment as she an' 
 swered: 
 
 "Are they so very formal in then- manners at the villa? 
 Why, I remember that when papa lived the whiter garden 
 belonged to the whole family. But then/' and she shrugged 
 her shoulders significantly, " my father's mother-in-law was 
 only a guest from time to time at the villa. However, it does 
 not matter. It's just as well that I came to the Mill-house 
 first," she went on, thoughtfully, though her well modulated 
 voice had a sharp ring in it as she threw back her head, and 
 looked earnestly at her companion; " being here will accustom 
 me to all that formality before I am forced to " 
 
 Dr. Bruck turned suddenly from the window, and drew 
 nearer the young girl. 
 
 " But what if they are angry over there at your not going 
 to them first?" he asked, quickly, interrupting her with a 
 slight tone of warning in his voice, as if he were anxious to 
 give her a little advice which he felt conscious would not be 
 heeded. 
 
 " If they are they have no right to be/' she replied, with- 
 out hesitation, while the color deepened on her cheeks. " Over 
 there is nothing more to me than if it were a stranger's house, 
 that is as regards taking care of me, and affection. My step- 
 sisters and I are nothing to each other; there is not even the 
 link of the briefest correspondence between us. Now and 
 then I have written to Moriz, but then he is my guardian as 
 well as my brother-in-law. When he married my half-sister 
 they lived hi the town; besides she died very soon. Henriette, 
 as you know, always lived with her grandmamma. I remem- 
 ber that when I was quite a little girl in the nursery, Flora 
 had the management of our house; she was very beautiful, 
 and very clever, but she must have wonderfully changed if one 
 does not feel oppressed and insignificant in her presence. I 
 never dared talk to her or even caress her lovely hand, and 
 I think that row I am older, it would be very impertinent on 
 my part if I were to expect from her the affection usual be- 
 tween sisters and "
 
 34 DT THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 She interrupted herself suddenly and looked wistfully up in 
 his face, but he turned his head toward the window and gazed 
 out on the scenery, not helping her with a syllable of reply. 
 
 After a pause she went on. 
 
 " As things are I can not regard the villa as my home; 1 
 have no right there, and if I went I should only be treated as 
 a guest, and be no more to them than any other visitor. But 
 tere in this Mill-house I stand on my own rights; I am mis* 
 tress here here I am surrounded by home feelings and home 
 associations, and I have no doubt that the old roof overhead 
 and Franz and Susanne's care will shield me from all harm as 
 completely as the formality and etiquette of the family over 
 there would at all events/' and a merry smile flitted over hrr 
 fresh young face. " By staying here I shall escape all censure 
 much sooner than you think for, doctor; they won't expect 
 manners from the * miller's mouse. ' ' 
 
 And without waiting for the doctor's reply Kathe went over 
 to the fire, opened the brass door of a tiny oven half-way up 
 the porcelain stove, and taking from her pocket a small bottle 
 of eau-de-Cologne, poured a few drops of the liquid on the 
 heated iron plate. Immediately a pleasant perfume pervaded 
 the air of the apartment. 
 
 " Susanne will feel much better when she comes here/' she 
 remarked, as her eyes wandered round the room to see if all 
 was in order. Then, as her glance fell on the open door of 
 the inner cabinet, through which the painted bedstead could 
 be seen, standing near to the window, and she recognized the 
 familiar yellow roses on its head and foot-boards, her face grew 
 pale, even her lips were white as she whispered: 
 
 " It was there grandpapa died." 
 
 The young doctor shook his head, and pointed silently to 
 the window corner of the room in which they were now stand- 
 ing. 
 
 " Were you with him?" she asked, gently, as she stepped 
 closer to him. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " He died so suddenly, and my brother-in-law announced 
 the sad event to me in such a very few words that I have not 
 yet heard the cause of his death. " 
 
 When Kathe spoke the doctor had his profile turned toward 
 her. His mustache and beard were very thick, but Kathe. 
 who was looking earnestly at him, noticed that he pressed hia 
 lips together as if the words she had just uttered pained him. 
 After a momentary pause he slowly moved round, and meet-
 
 iw THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 8 
 
 ing her earnest gaze, and looking her full in the eyes, he said, 
 gravely, in a voice that trembled with emotion: 
 
 " You will be told, fraulein, that he died from my want of 
 skill in performing the operation. " 
 
 The young girl shrunk back with fear, for a moment her 
 eyes were fastened on the lips which had spoken, as if ques- 
 tioning the accuracy of his speech; then they dropped on the 
 ground. 
 
 " For the express purpose of calming your fears you must 
 allow me to add, that such a statement is entirely false/' he 
 went on in a low earnest tone; " but how can I expect you to 
 believe me?" he added, bitterly. "We meet to-day for the 
 first time, and naturally know nothing of each other. " 
 
 She' might have replied by some superficial remark vaguely 
 expressive of sympathy for the painful position he evidently 
 found himself in respecting the death of the miller; but it did 
 not occur to Kathe to utter it. He was right in saying that 
 she could not judge if he were innocent or guilty. He cer- 
 tainly did not look like a man who could deliberately make a 
 false statement; and the girl gave a shy glance at the face be- 
 fore her. She felt intuitively that he would not purposely 
 raise suspicions in her mind, and then condescend to calm 
 them unless he had good reason for so doing. And as she was 
 not capable at the moment of expressing her own thoughts she 
 was silent. 
 
 He had not expected her to answer, but after a moment's 
 silence he turned away with so much pride and dignity in the 
 movement that Kathe felt a glow of shame creep over her; her 
 cheeks became crimson as she whispered audibly: 
 
 " I fully believe you. Shall I fetch Susanne now?" then 
 she asked, in a timid voice, wondering why she suddenly felt 
 as if she had behaved like a naughty child, and offended the 
 dignified grave-looking man standing so still by the window. 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 She left the room as quickly as possible with the tears 
 trembling on her eyelashes. But she dashed them away ere 
 entering the garret where tho old housekeeper sat, partly 
 dressed with a shawl wrapped round her, ready to move into 
 the larger room in obedience to the young mistress's will. 
 
 " Tell jne about grandpapa's death, Susanne," demanded 
 Kathe, sitting down on a low stool by the old woman. " HOVJ 
 was it he died?" 
 
 Susanne began at once and related the events of the late 
 master's illness and death to her listener as well as she could 
 and as she knew them, adding m a querulous tone:
 
 30 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " The affair seems to have done the young doctor no end d 
 harm. At first every one rau after him and thought iota of 
 him, but after master's death they all began to whisper he 
 didn't know his business well. That's just like people 
 Fraulein Kathe! He was not in fault about the operation 
 that was all right, I know, for I caw it with my own eyes. 
 The master was ordered to be very quiet after it was all over 
 he cuiet, indeed ! I should think I ought to knew best about 
 his being able to keep himself quiet. Why, if Franz spoke a 
 bit loud or a cart drove too quick into 'the yard he was in a 
 rage in a moment. Indeed he was; I have had enough to do 
 to bear with him, I can assure you, f raulein, and the thanks 
 I get is not a penny left me and, but for you, I should have 
 to beg in my old age. " 
 
 Kathe held up her finger in warning. 
 
 " Well, well, I'll be still and say nothing/' muttered the 
 old woman as Kathe put another shawl round her to keep her 
 warm. " But I do think it's hard for that good kind man, the 
 doctor, to have his reputation blackened, and his bread taken 
 away, and he doing so much for his old aunt, too; why, he 
 supports her now because she gave him her bit of mone)^ to 
 keep him while he studied. She lives with him, and is as 
 proud of him as a body can be, and now she'll have to suffer, 
 too." 
 
 But Kathe had lived too many years among her Dresden 
 friends to feel any very strong interest in the private family 
 history of her half-sister Flora's lover just aow; she regretted 
 vaguely for Dr. Brack's sake tha- circumstances had been 
 against the complete success of the operation, but she was too 
 much occupied in thinking of her old grandfather's illness and 
 death to care what the towns-people might or might not say 
 respecting the skill of the physician. Putting her strong 
 young arms round the feeble body of the old housekeeper, 
 Kathe partly lifted and partly led her out of her old garret 
 into the more comfortable quarters she had prepared for her. 
 The door of the corner room was open, and when Susimne ap- 
 peared on the threshold Dr. Bruck left his place by the stove, 
 and stretching out both his hands, lifted the tottering old woman 
 up in his arms, and placed her as gently and tenderly as o 
 mother would her child on the comfortable pillows in the old- 
 fashioned easy-chair. 
 
 A few moments later Kathe had covered her feet with o 
 ^farrn flannel, and put them on the stool, drawn the littte 
 table within easy reach of her hand, and fastened back tho 
 clean muslin curtain in o?d9X that she might have an uninter-
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 87 
 
 ffupted view from the window, while the old housekeeper mut- 
 tered half-finished sentences of delight at really finding herself 
 in the " grand room/-' and being able to watch and count each 
 sack of flour as it was loaded or unloaded in the yard. 
 
 Taking from its pocket her tiny gold watch, and looking at 
 the hour, Kathe said, with a slight gesture expressive of 
 amused despair: 
 
 " It is time I went to the villa or I shall arrive in ths middle 
 of Madame Urach's formal tea hour, and disturb her proud 
 guests." Then putting on her gloves, she added: " I shall be 
 back in an hour, Susanne, to cook your supper for y"ou. " 
 
 " With those white hands of yours?" exclaimed the old 
 woman in amazement. 
 
 " With these white hands of mine, certainly. Did you 
 imagine they were always idle in Dresden? if you did, Susanne, 
 you did not know my dear Lucas; she is just the same now as 
 she always was ever busy and never idle. You ought to ' see 
 her her equal is not to be found she is a model doctor's 
 wife!" laughed the young girl, as she nodded her head and 
 loft the room. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE clock was striking five as Kathe passed through the 
 court-yard on her way to the villa, accompanied by Dr. Bruck. 
 The air was much colder, and the sun-dial, which a couple of 
 hours before had brightly and distinctly marked the hour of 
 the day, now looked gray and dull in the overcast atmosphere. 
 
 The tinkling of the gate-bell brought old Franz out on the 
 doorstep, followed by his wife, who stretched her long neck 
 over her husband's shoulder to have a peep at the new young 
 mistress. Kathe spoke kindly to the woman, and begged her 
 to go up to the Mill -house and take care of Susanne during 
 her absence at the villa, which she promised faithfully to do 
 directly. 
 
 Kathe was about to continue her road, when a violent con- 
 cussion was felt hi the air, and a moment later a pretty little 
 dove fell wounded and helpless on the stones at her feet. 
 
 " The davil! the villains are carrying this too far!" growled 
 old Franz, as he stooped to pick up the poor little bird shot 
 through the wing. " Look here, wife; this is none o' ours 
 I thought so they are some vagabonds from over there, 
 shooting the poor lady's pigeons right under her nose. I wish 
 I was the counselor wouldn't they catch it!" he added, under 
 his breath, and shaking his horny fist.
 
 38 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Who is the poor lady, Franz, and who shoots her pig. 
 eons?" asked Kathe, opening wide her eyes with astonishment. 
 
 " He means Henriette," remarked the doctor. 
 
 " And it's them at the spinning-mill who shoots/' growled 
 Franz between his teeth. 
 
 " What, the hands in my brother-in-lavf's mill?" 
 
 " Yes, fraulein, they who eat his bread; I say it's a crying 
 shame and sin. A fine business, isn't it, doctor? Now yoi> 
 can see for yourself what they are made of, and the good that 
 comes of soft measures, and " 
 
 " Are the men on strike here?" asked Kathe, turning to 
 Dr. Bruck, who had such a sweet earnest smile on his face 
 that the girl could not resist giving him a second look. 
 
 " No, on the contrary/' he replied shaking his head, hip 
 quiet well-bred voice sounding in pleasant contrast to the ex- 
 cited tones of the foreman, " several of the upper workmen 
 at the mill have saved a little money, and when the estate was 
 being divided off into lots they went to your brother-in-law 
 Moriz and begged they might have a bit of useless land lying 
 near the flour manufactory, for the purpose of building a few 
 houses, to let out in rooms to those of their fellow-workmen 
 who could not afford the high rents for lodgings in town. 
 The counselor promised it to them all the more readily be- 
 cause the bit of land in question is in reality an outlying por- 
 tion of the park, and " 
 
 " Pardon my interrupting you, Herr Doctor," broke in 
 Franz, " but that's just why he couldn't do it. Directly I 
 heard of it I knew Madame Urach would never allow it; and 
 how could one blame her for not choosing to have neighbors 
 of that sort about her? The ladies were very angry about it, 
 I can tell you, and insisted that the open bit of land remain 
 as it was, for they meant to have some plants there, and that 
 put an end to all hope for the men. at the manufactory. As 
 you may imagine, the men are furious, and revenge them- 
 selves whenever they get a chance." 
 
 " A mean revenge, too! Poor little innocent thing!" said 
 Kathe, taking the pigeon out of Franz's hand. 
 
 " The lamentable part of this business is that this one act of 
 barbarity will react as a punishment on the whole lot, and no 
 3ne can blame proud old Madame Urach for not wishing to 
 fcave such ruffians in her neighborhood," said Dr. Bruck, with 
 1 grave -EaoA. 
 
 ** i don't see why. There are wicked and mean, revengeful 
 persons in every class of life," broke in Kathe, impulsively? 
 *' I Know a great deal about the lower classes, for the doctor
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUBH. 39 
 
 hi whose house I have been living had a number of poor 
 patients, and often when he thought medicine would do no 
 good, his wife, my dear old governess, used to help him by 
 taking soup and nourishing things instead to their homes, and 
 I always went with her. Sometimes, of course, we met with 
 roughness and ingratitude but generally with the reverse; 
 want and misery are always heart-rending to witness, and ' ' 
 
 " But not so bad in reality as you think, fraulein; the peo- 
 ple dissemble very often," interrupted Franz, waving his 
 hand. Kathe looked at him quietly for a moment ere sha 
 answered in a mocking tone: 
 
 " What a grand man you have become, Franz! Of whom 
 do you speak? Don't you belong to the people yourself? 
 You are at the head of the mill now, but what were you once? 
 Only a laborer, a common workman like the rest of them in 
 the manufactory, a workman who had to bear many a hard 
 injustice, too, as I happen to know." 
 
 The foreman's weather-beaten old face flushed a dark and 
 angry red, as the young lady, his mistress, reminded him in 
 such plain unmistakable words of his position. For a moment 
 or two he was silent after she had finished speaking, then 
 stretching out his broad horny hand toward her, he said, 
 simply: " I didn't mean it, fraulein; I meant no harm." 
 
 " At heart you are not bad, but you have been a fortunate 
 man, Franz, and are hard on those who never get on/' she re- 
 plied, as she laid her small hand for a second in his, but the 
 grave expression on his face did not so easily disappear. 
 
 Taking out her handkerchief she tenderly laid it over the 
 suffering bird, and tying the four corners together, hung it on 
 her finger as if it had been a basket, saying as she nodded 
 farewell to the foreman: 
 
 " I will take the tiny invalid to Henriette." 
 
 " I think this will be the shortest way," remarked the doc- 
 tor, opening a small door leading direct from the court-yard 
 into the park, and standing aside to let Kathe pass through. 
 
 " I recognize nothing here," said the young girl, when they 
 were outside, as she stared around with a perplexed look on 
 her face. " It seems to me as if this part of the park had been 
 taken up and shaken together by giant hands. What are they 
 doing down there?" she asked, pointing in the direction of an 
 open space, where some workmen's heads just appeared above 
 ground. 
 
 " They are digging a lake. Madame Urach has a fancy for 
 looking at swans swimming about on a broad sheet of water. ''
 
 40 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " And they are building over there on the south side; what 
 is that to be?" 
 
 " A palm-house, I believe." 
 
 " Moriz must be very rich," she said, thoughtfully. 
 
 "It is said he is," was the quiet answer, but uttered in a 
 tone that gave no indication of the speaker's private opinion 
 on the subject. 
 
 Standing in the full light of the open air, far enough away 
 for her to observe him at his ease, Kathe noticed what a very 
 remarkable-looking man her companion was. His dignified 
 military bearing and handsome sunburned countenance, with 
 its brown heavy mustache and curling beard, and the clear 
 straightforward expression shining in his eyes, made her in- 
 tuitively feel that the misfortune which had happened to him 
 in the miller's death had not come to him from want of firm- 
 ness and self-possession, or from any overconfidence in his 
 own skill. 
 
 " He would do nothing rash, I am sure, and his face is too 
 noble willfully to injure another if he could help it," thought 
 the young girl, her mind still dweDing on the strange state- 
 ment she had heard from his own lips, when she questioned 
 him about her grandfather's death. 
 
 " ShaU I lead you, fraulein?" 
 
 She started, and giving a bewildering glance over the broken 
 and filled-in pathways, accepted the arm Dr. Bruck offered 
 her. Her hand had not rested for two minutes on the doc- 
 tor's coat-sleeve, when she suddenly drew it away again, and 
 standing still, exclaimed with a merry, silvery laugh: " What 
 a coward I am! I do believe I'm nervous! Do you think I 
 shall see Flora directly I arrive at the house?" and her laugh 
 changed into a deep-drawn sigh. The young man's face 
 flushed as he replied in a constrained tone : 
 
 " As far as I know she is out driving;" then, as if to avoid 
 another question, he went on quickly, " you will find the 
 whole household in a state of excitement to-day, on account 
 of the nobility which has just been conferred on Moriz. " 
 
 " And you only tell me that now!" she cried. " What is 
 it for? What has he done?" 
 
 " Well, he has done a great deal to raise and improve the 
 commercial interests of the land," he answered, as quickly and 
 eagerly as if there had been a doubt about it; " and Moriz has 
 such a large heart he does a great deal for the poor. " 
 
 Kathe shook her head. 
 
 " He is a very lucky fellow, but it makes me feel anxious **
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 41 
 
 " Lucky!'* repeated the young man; " that depends upon 
 how he regards the change himself. ' ' 
 
 " As a great blessing/' she replied, decidedly. " I know 
 that Moriz's chief aim in life is to rise high in social position. 
 His last letter to me was full of self-congratulation and rapt- 
 ure that my fortune was far beyond what he had been led to 
 expect. " 
 
 Doctor Bruck did not answer directly: he walked on several 
 yards ere he asked, with a side glance at the young girl : 
 
 " And you do you not care to be richer than you thought 
 for?" 
 
 Kathe bent her head gracefully forward, and looked him 
 straight in the face. 
 
 " You appear to expect a very decided answer from me a 
 very earnest No; but unfortunately, with the best will in the 
 world, I can not bring myself to utter it. I think it is a very 
 pleasant thing to be rich." 
 
 He laughed softly to himself, but did not reply. Very soon, 
 by rapid walking, they had reached the linden avenue, where 
 the long, broad pathway had lately been freshly graveled. 
 Hurrying forward to the opposite side of the avenue, the young 
 girl stood still, and pointing to a distant wooden bridge formed 
 of a few branches of trees roughly fastened together across the 
 running river, cried out joyfully: 
 
 " Ah, the dear old friend is standing there still!" 
 
 " That leads to the property on the other side of the 
 river 
 
 " I know, beyond the meadow and fruit garden but be- 
 yond that again stands an old lovely little house. In former 
 times it was a kind of farm belonging to the castle, and when 
 I was here it used to be covered with a vine, and had broad 
 stone steps leading to the hall door. It was always so quiet 
 and still there. Susanne always bleached the linen in the gar- 
 den, and in spring the ground was blue with violets; I always 
 hunted for the first violet there, I remember." 
 
 " And you can do it again if you like the place has become 
 mine since this morning," he answered, casting a warm look 
 toward the distant tiny estate. 
 
 Kathe thanked him and flushed slightly as she thoughtfully 
 and slowly walked along the gravel pathway, wondering if her 
 sister Flora would one day inhabit that small house as its mis- 
 tress. If Flora with her proud bearing and the majestic sweep 
 of her trailing skirts, who never considered any drawing-room 
 in which she happened to be present too large or too costly in 
 furniture, if Flora with her unbending ambition and love of
 
 42 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 display could bring herself to live in that old-fashioned house 
 with its Dutch tiles and deal floors, then, indeed, she must be 
 greatly changed from the haughty ambitious girl she had been 
 six years ago! 
 
 From this and other thoughts of a similar kind, Kathe was 
 roused presently by the sound of approaching wheels. She 
 looked up and saw that they were so near the villa that she 
 jould have traced the pattern of the lace curtains hanging at 
 die windows. Inside the house all seemed still, but along the 
 carriage-drive leading to the grand entrance, a pair of mag- 
 nificent bay horses came trotting nearer and nearer, drawing a 
 handsome low phaeton, as bright and shining as only a new 
 phaeton can be. A lady held the reins with a light, firm 
 hand. She was wrapped from head to foot in rich, costly fur 
 the white drooping feather in her hat well became the class- 
 ical beauty of her face, and contrasted exquisitely with the 
 golden color of her hair, one braid of which had escaped from 
 its fastening, and hung over the rich, dark fur on her shoul- 
 der. 
 
 " Flora! how lovely she is!" cried Kathe, with enthusiasm, 
 as she stretched out her hand toward the passing carriage, but 
 neither Flora nor the counselor, who sat by her side, seemed 
 to have noticed the girl, for the elegant phaeton rolled rapidly 
 onward till it stopped before the portal of the villa. 
 
 Two or three pebbles suddenly flew past Kathe, evidently 
 struck unconsciously with the doctor's heavy walking-stick, 
 and then, for the first time, the girl remarked that she was 
 some distance in advance of her companion. She turned to 
 meet him, and fancied that he seemed more reserved and 
 colder in mien than he had been hitherto, and as she neared 
 him she could hardly repress a satirical smile from appearing 
 on her face as she saw him glance at her figure, and then 
 quickly fix his eyes on some other object, for she knew that 
 she had detected him in the thought: " What an ungainly 
 creature this girl is, in comparison with my beautiful be- 
 trothed." 
 
 " I am astonished at the cool courage Flora displays in driv- 
 ing/' she observed, when he was close beside her again. 
 
 " Her companion's contempt for death is much more to be 
 wondered at. Those young horses were only bought yester- 
 day, and the counselor is trying them for the first time to- 
 day," he answered, between his teeth; and Kathe felt that the 
 man must be strongly moved to speak in such a tone. She 
 did a wise thing and was silent, half frightened at the moody 
 expression which had settled on her companion's face.
 
 is THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 43 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 a word more was spoken by either till they reached the 
 .louse and had entered the hall, where a man-servant stood 
 watching the disappearance of the phaeton. 
 
 " Is the master at home?" asked the doctor. 
 
 " Yes, and the ladies also; they are all in the winter gar- 
 den," was the answer. 
 
 " In madame's apartments," thought Kathe to herself. 
 She had recovered her composure and usual calm manner, 
 and, taking a card from her bag, she handed it to the man, 
 saying: 
 
 " Take that to the Herr Counselor." 
 
 " Standing on etiquette here?" said Dr. Bruck, smiling, 
 when the footman had noiselessly tripped over the Persian hall 
 carpets and disappeared behind a door. 
 
 On etiquette! certainly," she replied, earnestly, adding: 
 "It is far the best; an unannounced entrance among tho 
 family would be bad taste on my part. As it is, I am very 
 much afraid that I shall place the master in an awkward pre- 
 dicament by my unceremonious appearance/' 
 
 She had barely finished speaking when a door opened on the 
 left side of the hall, and the counselor appeared. 
 
 " Good gracious, Kathe, you here!" he stammered out, in 
 a voice that was anything but joyous in its ring. 
 
 Drawing up her figure to its full height the young girl 
 walked across to her brother-in-law, and bowing gracefully, 
 said, with gentle dignity: 
 
 " You must not be vexed, dear Moriz, at my forestalling 
 your intentions; I considered myself quite old enough to come 
 without being fetched. I am no longer a child. " 
 
 He looked at her for a moment as if petrified, then recover- 
 ing his wits he said slowly, as he scanned her critically from 
 head to foot: 
 
 " Yes, you are quite right, Kathe. You are no longer the 
 child I used to lead by the hand. Now, welcome here!" 
 
 Then noticing the doctor's presence for the first time, he 
 added, as he gave him his hand : 
 
 " You two met in the hall let me introduce you at once 
 to" 
 
 " No need to do that, Moriz! I did it for myself a couple 
 of hours ago," interrupted the young girl, with a mischievous
 
 44 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 smile. " Doctor Bruck was calling on his patient Susanne, 
 when I arrived at the Mill-house/' 
 
 The counselor's brow became clouded. 
 
 " You went to the mill first?" he said, in an embarrassed 
 manner. "But, dear child, Grandmamma Urach has very 
 kindly expressed her intention of receiving you, and you ought 
 to have come direct to her, instead of going first to see your 
 old friend Susaune the old housekeeper. For goodness' sake, 
 don't mention it in there!" he whispered, earnestly. 
 
 " Do you really expect that from me?" said Kathe, her 
 clear ringing tones sounding almost startling in contrast to 
 the counselor's anxious whisper. " I can not tell a falsehood 
 if the subject is mentioned I have no love for secrecy, Moriz; 
 but if " and for an instant she shrunk back speechless at 
 the dark glow which overspread his face, then, as it faded 
 away and left him paler than usual, she went on courageous- 
 ly " if I have done wrong, I sha'n't mind acknowledging it; 
 it will not cost me my head, I suppose!" 
 
 " If you take a kindly hint in that tragic fashion, then of 
 course I have nothing more to say," he replied, somewhat 
 '.sharply. " It won't cost you your head, but it will considera- 
 bly increase the difficulty of your position in my house. How- 
 ever, do as you will! You will soon find out for yourself if 
 such direct straightforwardness will answer in the refined circle 
 you will mix in here!" he added, more facetiously than he had 
 yet spoken, as he led the way to the dining-room adjoining 
 the winter garden, and opened the door. 
 
 But inside it was no longer the simply furnished old-fash- 
 ioned room Kathe remembered. The wall which had sepa- 
 rated it from the winter garden had been removed, and in its 
 place two or three handsome columns supported the ceiling, 
 of exquisite color and design, at the base of which a bronze 
 grating ornamented with gold connected the columns with the 
 sides of the room, and divided the highly polished inlaid floor- 
 ing of the apartment from the tesselated pavement of the win- 
 ter garden. Behind the grating it was one mass of flowers 
 and evergreens; sweet-scented may-flowers perfumed the air, 
 costly Parma violets grew in rich luxuriance at the foot of a 
 handsome dragon-tree, and everywhere the rarest and choicest 
 plants were arranged in artistic order; the whole place framed 
 in by daintily ornamented walls and stained glass windows. 
 From the roof above the pillars hung several baskets of richly 
 colored trailing creepers, under one of which Flora was stand- 
 ing as the door opened. She still wore her costly furs; one 
 of the creeping branches of the clematis attached to the
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 45 
 
 columns had caught across her hat, as she held up her black 
 satin skirt with one hand, while the other rested gracefully 
 against the columns, as soft and creamy in its color as the 
 clematis bloom above her head. 
 
 As Kathe's tall figure advancd into the room, she raised her 
 eyebrows with an air of astonishment not unmixed with curi- 
 osity, followed a moment later by a sudden drooping of the 
 eyelids, while a sarcastic smile flitted round her lips. 
 , " Now, Flora, guess whom I have brought!" cried the 
 counselor. 
 
 " That won't take me long or be difficult either. It is 
 Kathe, who has evidently traveled here alone," replied Flora, 
 in her usual prompt and decided manner. " Besides, any one 
 who knew old Frau Sommer must see in an instant that this 
 tall girl with her pink and white apple-blossom face must be 
 her granddaughter. But her eyes and hair are strikingly like 
 your late wife's, Moriz; Clotilde's eyes were exactly like hers 
 at her age." 
 
 With a supple movement she freed herself from the clinging 
 clematis bough, and stepping toward her young half-sister, 
 bent her head to kiss her. 
 
 Yes, that was Flora, unaltered in any outward respect, ex- 
 cept perhaps that the lines about the mouth and chin were 
 slightly harder, from long years of constant indulgence of 
 power and command. With the same cool, indifferent man- 
 ner as she had kissed her sister after six years' separation she 
 now turned to Dr. Bruck and said, as she carelessly held out 
 her hand, not as a girl greeting her lover, but rather as if two 
 college chums were addressing each other: 
 
 " How do, Bruck?" 
 
 The young man took her hand for a moment and then let it 
 go again without any reply to her laconic greeting. 
 
 This state of perfect indifference of manner between the be- 
 trothed pair seemed to be an understood thing with the coun- 
 selor, but Kathe, whose experience of lovers was ' of a very 
 different kind, could hardly repress her astonishment, and 
 gazed from one to the other in silent perplexed amazement. 
 
 " Grandmamma!" cried Flora, turning her head in the 
 direction of the winter garden with a malicious twinkle in her 
 expressive eyes "grandmamma, our little one has given 
 you and your family the pleasure of looking at her a, month 
 before she was expected." 
 
 At Flora's first call the elderly lady emerged from behind a 
 
 froup of camellia plants, regarding with a keen curiosity, un- 
 nown to herself, perhaps, the young girl iust arrived; but at
 
 46 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 the conclusion of Flora's mischievous remark, Mme. Urach 
 knit ner brows in an ominous frown, and her pale face colored 
 with displeasure as she replied in an icy tone : 
 
 " I am not aware that I ever expressed any great curiosity 
 for ' looking at ' your sister, as you say, Flora. When I ex- 
 pressed my pleasure at Kathe's coming among us, and said 
 that she would be welcome, it was because she is the daughtej 
 of your dear departed father, and your sister/' 
 
 And so saying, she moved a few steps forward, and held out 
 both her hands as if to embrace the young girl; but Kathe, 
 pretending not to see her intention, courtesied with a low Cere- 
 monious bow before the old lady, as if she now for the first 
 time in her life stood in the presence of her father's proud 
 mother-in-law. An observant looker-on would have divined 
 the motive for this strange act on the young girl's part from 
 the sarcastic curl of her lip, but the old lady accepted it as a 
 simple mark of the deep respect her presence excited in the, 
 mind of her lately arrived guest, and kissing her on the fore 
 head, her eyes glancing uneasily toward the door as if expect- 
 ing Kathe's traveling companion to enter, she said: 
 
 " Did you really come alone, as Flora suggested?" 
 
 " Certainly I did, madame; 1 wished to try how I could get 
 on independent of any one, and my kind governess said I was 
 quite right," replied Katbe, unconsciously passing her fingers 
 over the place the elder lady had touched with her cold lips. 
 
 " Yes, of course, that is just like her," said Mme. Urach, 
 with a smile of pitying scorn hovering about her mouth. 
 " She was always a very independent person, and your dear 
 papa spoiled her, my dear, and let her do exactly as she liked, 
 though, of course, I must allow she always did right 
 
 " And judiciously, too and that is why, I have no doubt, 
 that papa confided to her care his untamable youngest daugh- 
 ter," broke in Kathe, in the free, unembarrassed manner that 
 was her special charm but which did not seem to please 
 Mme. Urach. 
 
 Shrugging her shoulders with a deprecating air, the old lady 
 replied : 
 
 "Your father did what he thought best for your welfare, 
 dear Kathe, and I have never been in the habit of criticising- 
 his actions. But he was a man who had a great admiration 
 for decorum of manner in ladies, and I wonder what he would 
 have thought of his little daughter's impulsive proceeding in 
 arriving at home in this sudden and unceremonious way?" 
 
 " I can't say," replied Kathe. " But papa would have 
 known and acknowledged whose blood ran in his child's veins
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 47 
 
 miller's blood, madame, able and willing to iace the worli 
 fearlessly. " 
 
 The counselor cleared his throat and stroked his handsome 
 mustache at the conclusion of this bold remark, and " Grand- 
 mamma " looked as if she had suddenly encountered a blast oi 
 cold air straight in the face, but Flora laughed aloud and 
 clapped her hands as she exclaimed: 
 
 " Good gracious, child, how ingenuous you are! Grand- 
 mamma," she added, turning with a malicious gleam in her 
 eyes to the elderly lady who had recovered her usual calm 
 manner. " Grandmamma, Kathe should be made to repeat 
 that sentiment the first time she is present at one of Moriz's 
 grand, entertainments wouldn't it make everybody open their 
 eyes!" 
 
 " My dear, I shall trust to Kathe's inborn tact and refined 
 taste to know what to say under such circumstances," an- 
 swered the old lady, shaking hands with the doctor, and part- 
 ing her thin lips in one of her peculiar smiles, that no one was 
 quite certain whether it was meant in sweetness or in bitter- 
 ness. 
 
 " Tact, tact, that's all very well to say," said Flora, shak. 
 ing her head, incredulously. " Freedom from conventional 
 restraint seems also inborn. The fault lies in that her old 
 governess does not seem to have understood how to teach hei 
 worldly wisdom. However, I for my part am glad you have 
 come alone, Kathe, and I think it is better for you to be alone 
 and independent than tied to the apron-strings of your old- 
 fashioned homely governess." 
 
 Kathe had taken off her hat, the perfumed heat of the room 
 making her feel too warm and thus displaying the coils oi 
 golden-brown hair crowning her head, which made her appeal 
 even taller than before. 
 
 " Homely? my dear old Lucas homely?" she cried, scorn 
 fully throwing back her head with a graceful movement that 
 well became her young supple figure. " A more refined, 
 poetical woman is would be difficult to imagine." 
 
 " Oh, yes, grows enthusiastic over the moon, and copies sen 
 timental verses or perhaps she composes herself, is that it?' 1 
 
 The young girl fixed her glowing eyes with a proud look on 
 the face of her half-sister as she answered, after a moment's 
 hesitation: 
 
 " She does not copy sentimental verses, but her husband'* 
 manuscripts, because his handwriting is difficult to decipher 
 and she does not write novels and poetry because she has no 
 time, and yet there is plenty of Dpetry ia her. Ah, yes, Flora,
 
 48 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 you may laugh and be sarcastic, as of old, but you can't mako 
 me alter my opinion of my dear old governess. She brings 
 the poetry of her nature into every-day use, in the charming 
 way she manages her house, and makes her simple home a 
 place of love and happiness- every corner of the house she 
 seems to fill with her bright smile and pleasant thoughts as 
 she looks after the comfort of her hard-working husband, my 
 troublesome self, and anybody and everybody about her. " 
 
 "Bravo, Kathe!" cried Henriette, emerging from the win- 
 ter garden, throwing a handful of fresh-gathered violets against 
 the young girl's bosom, from whence they fell to the floor. 
 " Bravo! I would rush over and embrace you, but look at 
 me," she added, as she pressed her hands together across her 
 breast, and leaned against the bronze grating; " look at me 
 and don't you want to laugh? You are so strong and 
 healthy-looking, and I I " her voice faltered, and she 
 turned away. 
 
 In an instant Kathe was by her side with her arms round 
 the poor little deformed figure, kissing her gently, and with 
 tears rolling down her own cheeks, asking her how it was she 
 had " grown so terribly thin. " 
 
 Flora bit her lip as she watched the handsome girl bending 
 with such tender solicitude over her weak little half-sister, and 
 a cloud passed across her brow as the unwelcome thought 
 arose, that perhaps this fearless creature, with her bright 
 young face and truth-loving tongue, might prove a thorn in 
 her path by casting a shadow over the hitherto undisputed 
 sway of the proud beauty. The thought seemed to heat her 
 forehead, for she lifted her hat, and pushing her hair from her 
 temples, said, impatiently, as she glanced significantly at the 
 white bundle still hanging from Kathe 's wrist: 
 
 " Did yon bring that very aristocratic-looking parcel with 
 you from Dresden?" 
 
 Without deigning a reply to her elder sister's question, 
 Kathe undid the knot of the handkerchief, and, handing the 
 wounded pigeon to Henriette, said, gently: 
 
 " It belongs to you; the poor little thing was shot in the 
 wing and fell down on the pavement of, the mill court-yard 
 while I stood there." 
 
 Thus her visit to the Mill-house was told quite unconscious- 
 ly, but Mme. Urach did not appear to have noticed the end of 
 Kathe's sentence. With heightened color and a stern expres- 
 sion of countenance she turned to the counselor, and pointing 
 to the wounded bird, said, reproachfully: 
 
 " That's the fourth, Moriz."
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 49 
 
 es And my pet,, my little silver-headed treasure!" cried Hen- 
 riette, wiping away the tears that would run down her pale, 
 thin cheeks. 
 
 " I must entreat you, dear grandmamma, not to reproach 
 me on this subject any more," replied the counselor, white 
 with fear and anger. " I have done all I can to find out the 
 culprit or culprits and put a stop to this sort of thing, but the 
 wretch covers himself behind the phalanx of a couple of hun- 
 dred of disappointed and exasperated men, and there is really 
 nothing to be done," he added, shrugging his shoulders. " I 
 have begged Henriette over and over again to confine her 
 pigeons to the house till the men have calmed down, but " 
 
 " So we will have to give way, you think? Perhaps that 
 course will be the best to pursue," said the old lady, with bit- 
 ter sarcasm, as she slightly lifted the lace scarf she wore from 
 her shoulders. " Didn't you say yourself, Moriz, that indiffer- 
 ence on our part would only encourage them in their daring? 
 Depend upon it, they will soon tire of shooting tame pigeons, 
 and fly at higher game. " 
 
 " Then why remain so inactive, grandmamma? They are 
 not so on the other side," remarked Flora, carelessly. " This 
 morning my maid found another threatening letter lying on 
 my window-sill; it was such a dirty, filthy bit of paper that she 
 wouldn't touch it with her fingers, but held it with the fire- 
 tongs while I read it. It is still in her room, Moriz, if you 
 wish to make use of it. There is nothing new in it, of course 
 always the same phrases. But I should certainly like to 
 know why these men single me out to vent on me their hatred 
 of the upper classes." 
 
 Kathe looked up at her sister, and the involuntary thought 
 arose in her mind that it was perhaps not so much the upper 
 classes as a body .hat were here hated as the proud, haughty, 
 overbearing individual who had been thus singled out as a fit- 
 ting recipient for these dirty marks of the angry men's inten- 
 tions. 
 
 " Besides, it makes it almost ludicrous that I should be thus 
 threatened, considering they know how interested I am in the 
 social question," continued Flora, with a forced laugh. " I 
 have already published several articles hi favor of the working- 
 man. " 
 
 11 Writing alone doesn't accomplish much nowadays," re- 
 marked Dr. Bruck, from across the room. " The most power- 
 ful pens have worn themselves to the stump in writing on the 
 subject, and yet the movement gains daily more force, and 
 sweeps into air all such written theories. "
 
 50 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Every one turned and looked at the doctor, but Flora asked, 
 pointedly: 
 
 ;' What ought to be done, then?" 
 
 " What ought to be done?" he repeated, quietly. " Go 
 among the men and examine for yourself the justice of their 
 demands. What's the use of your attempting to try and solve 
 the problem of ' the for and against ' from a mass of papers 
 and documents on your table which " 
 
 " But I beg " and her eyes flashed with an angry glare. 
 
 ; ' Which only adds confusion to an already complex ques- 
 tion/ ' he went on, not noticing her interruption. "It is not 
 likely your articles are ever read by the workmen, and if they 
 were, what good could they do? Words, written words, won't 
 build them houses. But the women related to the masters 
 have great power and influence in these matters if they only 
 knew how to use them, by softening the stern decisions of 
 their husbands and fathers and the masters, and inducing them 
 by gentle persuasions to yield now and again to just demands, 
 even if it appears against their own interests for the moment. 
 But few women take the trouble to think about the questions 
 at all, and if they do, they don't allow their hearts to speak. 
 They adopt the lamentable method in fashion nowadays of 
 coping with men before the public, quite forgetting that their 
 sphere of action ought to be at home, and that they only in- 
 crease and widen the breach each time they depart from it. " 
 
 Mme. Urach smoothed the folds of her satin dress with her 
 slender hands, and, without any reference to the latter part of 
 Dr. Brack's remarks, replied coldly, when he had finished 
 speaking: 
 
 " I agree with you, but I am not accustomed to give my 
 alms direct to the poor, so I have no doubt they have no idea 
 either how much or how often I give; still their ignorance on 
 the point does not distress me, not even if it accounts for the 
 rough acts committed lately." 
 
 These rough doings are disgraceful. No one can condemn 
 them more strongly than I do," replied Dr. Bruck, coolly, 
 " but " 
 
 " Well, but? You mean, I suppose, that it is we ' women 
 related to the masters ' who have provoked these outrages 
 eh?" 
 
 " Yes, I do, madame," boldly answered the young doctor, 
 drawing closer to the old lady. " By preventing the master 
 from assisting his workmen in a very plausible scheme for the 
 benefit of both. The workmen's demand in this case was not 
 of the exaggerated unjust kind which leads to misery and
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 51 
 
 vexation of spirit on both sides; they neither asked for nor ex- 
 pected alms; all they want is a little help from the owner of 
 the manufactory to carry on their work more satisfactorily, 
 and to make their daily existence less hard." 
 
 The old lady touched him lightly on the arm as she said, in 
 an amiable but cold tone, hoping to end the discussion: 
 
 " You are a decided idealist, Herr Doctor." 
 
 " No, no, but a philanthropist if you will," he asserted IL 
 reply, as he smiled and took up his hat to depart. 
 
 Flora was standing with her back toward him, apparently 
 gazing out of the window, but no woman's full face could have 
 expressed stronger anger and annoyance than did the profile 
 of her firmly compressed lips and dilated nostril That the 
 doctor had been daring enough to openly assert that she 
 gathered her ideas, or rather wrote her articles, from the con- 
 tents of other papers, was simply unbearable. She, with her 
 great gifts! But to suggest that it was part of her duty to look 
 personally into the cause and wherefore of these demands; 
 she, who had never put foot over the threshold of her brother- 
 in-law's factory, and to find out for herself why she urged with 
 her pen reform really is too wanting in tact altogether! Be- 
 sides, if it was necessary to personally inspect the truth before 
 describing it, what was the use of being endowed with imagi- 
 nation and genius? Absurd! Her lover had never, before to- 
 day, made any mention of her literary talents, from " shyness 
 and admiration " she had hitherto believed, and now he sud- 
 denly condemns her work in round, plain terms, and he ! it 
 is too much. 
 
 " Grandmamma!" she exclaimed, with heightened color 
 and knitted brows, " I don't understand your making use of 
 the term * Idealist!' It seems to me that Doctor Bruck has 
 expressed himself very plainly on the subject. According to 
 him, we ought to give up comfort and luxury and go about in 
 sackcloth and ashes; and, instead of cultivating our talents, 
 cook soup for the peasants. It seems, too, that it is a sin to 
 prefer the quiet and seclusion of our park, and that we ought 
 to enjoy a pack of workmen's children hallooing and scream- 
 ing under our windows, and if you are not good and submis- 
 sive to his dictates, behold a specter is placed at our door to 
 frighten us!" then, catching her breath, she added: "Be- 
 sides, a philanthropist ought to act as well as teach. If things 
 come to the pass he hints at, the specter will do with him as 
 he would with us." 
 
 " I have not much to lose," said the doctor, smiling.
 
 52 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Flora hurried a few steps forward, her jacket hanging half 
 on the floor. 
 
 " You can't say that now/' she answered, cuttingly. 
 " Moriz tells me that to-day you take possession of some prop- 
 erty you have bought. Is it really true that you have carried 
 out your threat of yesterday, and purchased that wretched old 
 ruin over the river. " 
 
 "My threat?" 
 
 " Well, what else can I call it? You said yesterday that if 
 you bought this place, which to me is the ne plus ultra of 
 wretchedness, poverty, and hideousness, that it would take all 
 your savings, and you have purchased it. You can't possibly 
 have bought it for its beauty alone, and that is why I ask you 
 seriously who is going to live there?" 
 
 " You have no need to put a foot in it." 
 
 " Of course I sha'n't; of that you may be quite certain. I 
 would rather " 
 
 It would be difficult to describe the young doctor's look as 
 he raised his hand to stop whatever was about to follow, but it 
 was sufficient for the purpose, and the rosy lips close in obedi- 
 ence to his strong will. 
 
 After a moment's hesitation he said, quietly, as if it were a 
 matter of perfect indifference to him and his betrothed also: 
 
 " I intend my aunt to live in the little house, merely reserv- 
 ing to myself a room where I can pass a few hours at my lei- 
 sure during the summer months." 
 
 " Hope you will enjoy it! a special summer residence! And 
 in winter then?" 
 
 " In winter? Then I shall be content with the room that 
 you decided upon for me in our married home. " 
 
 "Oh! but I don't care about the house you refer to. It 
 stands at a corner of the street, and the noisy rolling of the 
 carts and carriages will be insufferable when I am working." 
 
 " Very well, then, I will give it up and look for another 
 more suitable," he replied, with unmoved equanimity. 
 
 Flora turned away shrugging her shoulders, and with an ex- 
 pression of annoyance clouding her beautiful face that made 
 Kathe fancy she would like to stamp her foot if she dared; as 
 it was, she threw back her head, and her eyes flashed fire as 
 she muttered, between her teeth: 
 
 " Will he ever understand?" 
 
 Just at this moment Mme. TJrach rang the bell so violently 
 4iat the unusually loud clanging was heard on the other side 
 of the house. 
 
 The old lady seemed angry and distressed that her grand-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 53 
 
 daughter had so little tact as to discuss this painful question 
 with her lover in the presence of a stranger; and to put an 
 end to the unwelcome topic, she said to Kathe: 
 
 " You will receive a strange impression of the good feeling 
 and hospitality of our household, my dear. You have not 
 been asked to take off your jacket or to sit down after your 
 journey, and have been obliged, whether you will or not, to 
 tisten to discussion on a matter that can not possibly interest 
 you; standing too on the cold marble floor, instead of being 
 taken care of." 
 
 Then, when a footman appeared in answer to her ring, she 
 ordered him to tell the housekeeper at once to prepare one of 
 the guest chambers for the young lady's use. 
 
 While these orders were being given the counselor helped 
 Kathe take off her heavy fur mantle, and drew up a chair for 
 her to sit on, and Henriette left the winter garden with a deep 
 spot of red on each cheek and the tears in her eyes. 
 
 " Won't you stay and have tea with us?" asked the old lady, 
 as Dr. Bruck bowed low before her in token of his departure. 
 
 " No, thank you, not to-day. I have two or three patients 
 I must see, " he replied, courteously, not noticing the sarcastic 
 curl of Flora's lip as he uttered the words; then he shook 
 hands with her and Moriz, and bowing ceremoniously to Kathe 
 as he had done to the old lady, he left the room. 
 
 " Flora," said Mme. Urach, in a sweet tone, as soon as the 
 door was closed on the doctor's retreating figure, " I must beg 
 that for the future you will avoid the repetition of such scenes 
 as we have just had to witness. You have elected to be free, 
 or rather to act as you think best good. Up to the present 
 time I have not interfered with you in the slightest degree; but 
 I will not allow you to act as you have just thought fit to do 
 in my presence I absolutely forbid it! Must I repeat what " 
 
 " No, no, don't repeat anything, dear grandmamma!" in- 
 terrupted Flora, rudely. " It all comes to the same thing and 
 signifies simply that it does not matter what happens in the 
 house provided that Frau Prasidentin Urach's conduct is not 
 in fault! Pardon me, grandmamma; I will not offend again. 
 The house is large enough, and one is not obliged always to 
 cross your orbit. Ah, how I wish things were not so hard for 
 me! Sometimes I am afraid that I shall lose patience, and " 
 
 " Flora!" exclaimed the counselor, in a tone of entreaty and 
 warning. 
 
 " Ah, yes, of course, Herr von* Romer! I must not forget 
 
 * Von is a title of nobility in Germany.
 
 54 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 the position due to your new rank! Good heavens! how every- 
 thing seems to weigh on my shoulders! But why do I merit 
 this visitation because hearts attach themselves to me like 
 like burrs?" 
 
 She picked up her hat and gathered her skirts together to 
 leave the room, but Kathe stood in her way. 
 
 " You see what happens to us unfortunate single women, 
 my dear; if, in a weak moment, we yield to sentiment and im- 
 agine ourselves in love/' she remarked to her younger sister, 
 laying her hand playfully under her chin, " we only come to 
 grief. Take warning by me, child, and look well that you 
 don't follow my example!" 
 
 And before Kathe could reply, she left the room. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CLOSE to the western boundary of the park stood the re- 
 mains of a noble edifice, the Baumgarten Manor House. Of 
 the grand old castle with its draw-bridge and moat nothing 
 now remained but one turreted chamber of huge dimensions 
 and a portion of one of the wings, for the building itself had 
 been demolished some sixty years before. The proprietor at 
 that time, who lived most of the year abroad, had had the 
 Manor House rebuilt with the same blocks of granite, but in 
 the villa style, and placed at the extreme corner of the estate, 
 in order, as he said, " to be within sight of his fellow-beings," 
 whenever he passed a few weeks in his own country. 
 
 But the tower and its adjacent broken-down walls had not 
 been disturbed, and were respected as forming an attract- 
 ive monument enhancing the value of the property. This 
 tower arose on the summit of a rising piece of ground with 
 masses of tangled brushwood growing in rich profusion around 
 its base, while from its grand old window niches and dilapi- 
 dated walls hung festoons of clustering wild roses intermixed 
 with the wild gooseberry-tree. The creeping hop-plant clung 
 in beautiful green contrast against the dark, time-worn stones 
 of its portals and broken-down supports. 
 
 Up to the time of the present generation the old ruin, sur- 
 rounded with its deep natural moat, had admirably answered 
 its purpose as a landmark in the neighborhood; but when it 
 fell into the hands of its late owner it was turned to a much 
 more practical use. The water had been drained from the 
 moat, and a quantity of vegetables planted in the rich soil of 
 its bed and sides. According to the late miller, this was the 
 most profitable return he had yet had for the money he had
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 55 
 
 spent in the purchase of this corner of the park, and the result 
 of this new plan had so pleased him that he gave orders that 
 the produce of this portion of the ground was to be devoted to 
 his own personal requirements. Here it was that Kathe, who 
 called the place the " little valley," used to wander about as 
 a child, too young to understand the desecration that had be- 
 fallen the noble old water-castle and its surroundings, and while 
 reveling in the rich abundance of ripe wild strawberries, which 
 grew larger and riper here than anywhei'e else, in happy igno- 
 rance that at any moment some sudden breach in the river em- 
 bankment might overwhelm her and Susanne and the whole of 
 the green valley around them with rushing angry floods of 
 water. 
 
 A few days after her arrival she visited for the first time the 
 old familiar spot, and stood gazing in bewilderment at the 
 scene before her. The hop-plants hung leafless, not a vestige 
 of green grass was to be seen on the rising ground, yet the 
 April sun shone warm and bright on the massive old ruin, 
 lighting it up in strong relief against the dark mass of fir-trees 
 in the distant background. 
 
 Not a trace of fresh mortar could be discovered on the old 
 walls, not one new stone could be singled out from the old 
 ones around. Yet there was no gap or broken partition, such 
 as Kathe so well remembered used to be there when she was a 
 child; the only open places were the huge gaping window- 
 frames, which were formerly closed in with planks of wood, 
 but which now streamed with light, showing the dark inward 
 recesses beyond. New fresh life seemed to reign all around 
 the place overhead, white and colored pigeons circled round 
 and round the crown of the tower, and from beneath a group 
 of ancient nut-trees on the south side of the old tower, two 
 tame deer came slowly scampering over the soft sward. The 
 little valley had quite disappeared, and in its place a broad 
 sparkling stream flowed rapidly and peacefully along, as if 
 man's hand had never had any power over its course. 
 
 A bridge suspended by chains was swung across the stream, 
 at the opposite side of which lay an enormous bull-dog, with 
 his head resting on the bank, apparently watching with keen 
 interest the approaching figures. 
 
 "Behold Moriz's Tusculum, Kathe!'* said Henriette, catch- 
 ing hold of her arm; " once upon a time the scene of many an 
 act of cruelty and baronial magnificence, only a few months 
 ago the undisputed haunt of owls and bats and some of my 
 pigeons, but now the drawing-room, bed-chamber, and royal 
 treasury or safe-room of the noblo Counselor Herr von Bomer >
 
 56 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Doesn't the old place look dark and shaky, and as if the very 
 next storm of wind would blow it to the earth? yet I can as- 
 sure you that it is as firm and solid as masons and builders can 
 make it; and look there, in a room beneath that overhanging 
 stone Moriz's servant lives, and good quarters he has too, and 
 no mistake. " 
 
 " According to taste, my dear/' remarked Flora, who had 
 accompanied the two girls. " A wonderfully original idea for 
 a business head; don't you think so, Kathe?" she added, 
 shrugging her shoulders with a scornful gesture as she went 
 forward, and, walking across the little bridge, pushed the dog 
 out of her way with a touch of her foot and lauded on the 
 other side. The rustling of her silk dress frightened the deer 
 back into the shade of the nut-trees, and seemed to make the 
 dog growl as he followed his tyrannical mistress till she reached 
 the door of the castle. As she stood at the entrance to this 
 time-honored building, her hand resting against the iron but- 
 tress, her head with its crown of golden plaits slightly thrown 
 back over her shoulder, her rich silk dress hanging in grace- 
 ful folds around her, she might have been painted as the lovely 
 daughter of a captive emperor, about to seek her father in his 
 turreted prison. 
 
 Involuntarily Kathe glanced from Flora's handsome, well- 
 rounded figure to the frail being at her side, whose sharp at- 
 tenuated form and pale, suffering face made her heart ache to 
 watch. The poor girl breathed with difficulty, and her com- 
 plexion was so sallow it did not require a very quick observer 
 to note that she was weaker than usual from excessive physical 
 pain. And yet Henriette would not acknowledge herself worse 
 than usual the last day or two, and each time any one of the 
 household suggested that she must be suffering, she seemed so 
 angry and annoyed that it was generally considered it would 
 be the kindest thing to leave her alone. 
 
 The truth was, Dr. Bruck had been suddenly called away to 
 visit a patient at a distance, and would be " absent for several 
 days," he had informed Flora in a note hastily written before 
 his departure, and as he had always been able to alleviate 
 Henriette's attacks sooner than any other doctor, she would 
 not allow herself to be attended by even the famous court 
 physician, Dr. von Bar, during his absence. 
 
 " I will die sooner!" she exclaimed, when urged to allow 
 him to prescribe for her, and the energy with which she ut- 
 tered this sentence so exhausted her that she was left in peace 
 and urged no more. 
 
 For several days Kathe nursed her tenderly and gently, and
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 57 
 
 when she was able to be out in the open air again guided her 
 faltering steps with her strong and healthy young arms as 
 she was doing now while leading her slowly across the hanging 
 bridge. 
 
 How well Kathe remembered peering through the key-hole 
 of this same iron door when she roamed about the town as a 
 little girl ! She had been told that a quantity of gunpowder 
 was hidden in the dark cellars, which might blow up at any 
 moment, and that ugly cruel instruments for torturing people 
 still hung on the walls. 
 
 She had been able to discern nothing but black darkness, 
 but nevertheless she had many a time trembled with fear when 
 a gust of strong wind had swept a damp current of air against 
 her face as she pressed it to the ancient lock, and if an owl flew 
 from its hiding-place she would rush back to Susaune in vague 
 terror that some of " those ugly things were coming out of the 
 darkness to take hold of her." And yet, in spite of her 
 childish fear, the old place had a wonderful attraction and 
 charm for the lonely little girl, for many of the happiest days 
 of her early years were spent in roaming about under the 
 brushwood and trees which had overgrown its walls. 
 
 Now, for the first time in her life she stood within its por- 
 tals, and could not help being astonished at the wonder-work- 
 ing power of this rich merchant prince's gold. Outside, the 
 tower looked as if it were an old ruin, but inside it was a su- 
 perbly decorated knightly residence. A grand vaulted arch 
 stretched from one side of the hall to the other, supported by 
 stone buttresses of magnificent proportions. On the walls 
 those " ugly, cruel things " still hung weapons and helmets 
 of rare and costly workmanship but arranged with taste and 
 in order, and with the slanting sun-rays glittering on then* 
 burnished steel with strange and weird effect. 
 
 Presently the two young girls slowly mounted the handsome 
 staircase and entered a room on the upper story. Here they 
 found Flora gracefully leaning back on the velvet cushions of 
 an easy-chair with a lighted cigarette between her fingers, 
 watching her brother-in-law making coffee in an elegant silver 
 cafe tie re. 
 
 "Well, Kathe! what do you think of it?" exclaimed the 
 counselor, as the girls appeared, and he waved his hand around 
 the room to intimate that he referred to the costly new furni- 
 ture. 
 
 Kathe stood still for a moment on the threshold of the door, 
 a black veil loosely thrown over her golden-brown hair, her 
 clear laughing eyes full of merriment, and yet with a certain
 
 58 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 haughty glance in them that just at this moment made her 
 look like a lineal descendant of the proud old family to whom 
 the place had formerly belonged, ere answering, gayly: 
 
 " Romantic in the extreme, Moriz! The illusion is per- 
 fect. And down there," pointing through the open window 
 at her left to the shimmering water beneath, " down thero 
 one might be startled at the solemn aspect of things, if one 
 didn't know that a counselor of the present nineteenth cen- 
 tury sat inside. " 
 
 He knit his brows gloomily together and glanced uneasily at 
 her face, but she did not notice the look as she went on: 
 
 " It was neither right nor praiseworthy to convert the old 
 ground into a vegetable garden: I think that, although I loved 
 the place very dearly in my childhood. But don't you think 
 it a strange freak of fortune that the merchant of to-day 
 should renew the lists deserted and neglected by the high-born 
 knights of old?" 
 
 " You must not forget, my dear Kathe, that / belong now 
 to the rank of knights," replied the counselor, in a piqued 
 tone. " The way the old nobles conformed to the spirit of 
 the times, and allowed their grand buildings to fall into decay 
 and ruin, is certainly sadly to be deplored. It was a decided 
 robbery against us who come after." 
 
 " Simpleton! more Catholic than the pope himself!" mur- 
 mured Henriette, under her breath, as she moved slowly to- 
 ward a sofa on which she sat down, while Kathe mechanically 
 shut the door, still regarding her annoyed brother-in-law with 
 the thoughtful questioning gaze which his remark had brought 
 into her eyes. 
 
 Kathe could remember how fond she had been of him when 
 a child, as were all those who came under his influence. She 
 knew that he belonged to a respectable mechanic's family, 
 that he had been early left an orphan, and that owing to his 
 good looks and pleasing manners, her father, the renowned 
 banker Mangold, had taken him into his office as a junior 
 clerk, and that a few years later he married his patron's eldest 
 daughter Clothilda. By means of his wife, who up to the 
 time of her death was always obedient and pliant to his wishes 
 and had great influence over her father, he succeeded in rising 
 step by step in the bank till he reached an office of responsi- 
 bility and power, and was universally loved and respected for 
 his unswerving kindness and graciousness to those in a sub- 
 ordinate position. And yet this was the man who stood 
 moodily by the table just now with an expression of haughty 
 defiance hovering around his handsome, well-curved mouth,
 
 Or THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 59 
 
 and an angry flash in his eye at the careless words of an in 
 valid girl. 
 
 " Don't, for goodness* sake, utter treason against the ancient 
 masters of this stronghold, dear Moriz, " said Henriette, sharp- 
 ly, ' ' otherwise I shall expect to see the ghost of one of then) 
 rising up before us to see how the brave and powerful present 
 owner of the castle makes coffee, and to watch the charming 
 lady over there smoke a cigarette; how wide he would open 
 his eyes with astonishment!" 
 
 Flora did not stir at this malicious attack; she merely slowly 
 removed the cigarette from between her lips, and, while she 
 knocked the ashes away, said, in a phlegmatic tone: 
 
 " Does it distress you?" 
 
 "Me!" and the girl laughed aloud. " You know, Flora, 
 that I never allow myself to be distressed at any of your 
 vagaries; the world is wide, and if " 
 
 " Nonsense! don't be bitter, little one. I asked simply be- 
 cause I know you breathed with difficulty to-day. " 
 
 A flush passed over the thin, emaciated face, leaving it paler 
 by contrast than before, and the tears sprung to her eyes as 
 she replied, with an effort: 
 
 "Thank you; but you had better take care of yourself, 
 Flora. I know that each of your fingers is longing to pitch 
 that sickly thing out of the window; for it will discolor your 
 pearly-white teeth as it does meerschaum, and spoil your love- 
 ly complexion. And you sacrifice your sweet beauty without 
 mercy what for? To prove your independence. Bah! I am 
 sure you have more taste than to stoop to the common artifices 
 of a would-be blue-stocking; and as there is no need for a 
 sacrifice on your part to give up the glory of this hateful " 
 
 "Only listen to the good opinion she has of me!" inter- 
 rupted Flora, in a mocking tone, shaking her head as she acU 
 dressed the counselor. 
 
 " You will make yourself ill for a week," continued Hen- 
 riette, quietly, but with a ring of bitter reproach in her voice, 
 " simply because you know who dislikes and abhors the smell 
 of tobacco from a woman's mouth. You do it on purpose to 
 cause a quarrel it is your last hope of pushing things to " 
 
 Flora half rose from her seat, and demanded, proudly: 
 
 "Well! and what then? Is it not my affair whether I 
 choose to submit or rebel?" 
 
 " Far from it! " Your duty is to try and please him," Hen- 
 riette burted out, angrily. 
 
 "Absurd! Is the wedding-ring there yet?" asked Flora
 
 $0 or THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE: 
 
 pointing to the third finger of her soft, white hand.* " Thank 
 God, not yet ! Besides, you have no business to interfere and 
 to be angry about my affairs at all. But you are ill and suffer- 
 ing, poor child! and seem more than ever to cling to your 
 favorite doctor, while he thinks fit to be absent for ten days or 
 a fortnight on a pleasurable excursion, instead of attending to 
 his patients." 
 
 " You say that, Flora/' interposed the counselor, "because 
 he did not explain in detail the cause of his absence. Bruck 
 rarely speaks of his patients and their requirements," he add- 
 ed, severely; " that you know. Of course, he has been called 
 away to the sick-bed of some " 
 
 " What, to S g, where the most famous of the university 
 
 physicians are within reach? Nonsense! Don't indulge in 
 any such absurd illusions, my dear Moriz. Besides, I prefer 
 not discussing the question with you enough!" 
 
 And stretching forth her hand, she took up one of the ex- 
 quisite cups of porcelain he had just filled with fragrant coffee, 
 and, adding cream and sugar, drank it off feverishly. 
 
 Henriette refused the cup offered her by the counselor, and 
 moved over to the glass door leading to a balcony formed by 
 the end columns of what had once been a handsome colonnade. 
 
 The girl opened the door, and for a moment the fresh air 
 jeemed to relieve the oppression at her chest; then she clasped 
 her hands together and uttered an involuntary groan of pain, 
 which brought Kathe and the counselor to her side. Even 
 Flora rose from her recumbent position, and, flinging her 
 cigarette into the ash-pan, said, grumblingly: 
 
 " I know very well that my harmless little indulgence will 
 be held responsible for this; but it is not in fault at all. You 
 ought to be in bed, Henriette, and not exposed to this keen 
 spring air, which is killing in its effect on weak constitutions 
 like yours. I told you not to come warned you against going 
 out at all; but you won't listen to any kindly meant advice, 
 and act as if your lungs were as strong as a trumpet. And 
 you are just as obstinate about having medical advice 
 
 " Because I don't choose to put my weak chest at the mercy 
 of the first quack who appears," broke in Henriette, in an ex- 
 hausted but very decided tone. 
 
 " What would the poor old court physician say if he heard 
 you?" replied Flora, laughing. " I don't care, child do as 
 you like. I, too, have no liking for swallowing his mixtures; 
 
 * The Germans wear the wedding- ring on the riglif hand
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 61 
 
 but at least of this I am sure, that he never made the mistake 
 of nearly cutting a patient's throat while operating on him. " 
 
 The counselor turned pale to the lips, and involuntarily 
 raised his hand, as if he would like to press it on the lips of 
 the slanderous girl, and oblige them to be silent. He had no 
 ^ower to speak; but he gazed anxiously into Kathe's face, as 
 if to read there the effects of this unkind speech. 
 
 " You are a heartless girl," blurted out Henriette. 
 
 " I am not heartless; only brave enough to call things by 
 their right names, even when in doing so I hurt myself most. 
 I knew that a downfall must follow such falsely dreamed re- 
 nown; it did come, only in a far more damaging way than I 
 had feared. Besides, it is of no use to dispute public opinion; 
 and in this case you know very well how bitterly it condemns 
 him. But I think that all who know me will understand that 
 I have no intention of sharing the burden of such a fall. I 
 can not palliate or hush up things, as grandmamma would 
 wish to do. I'll do nothing of the kind I hate it. Nothing 
 seems to me so ridiculous as for a woman to go on worshiping 
 and adoring a man whom the world condemns, and who has 
 nothing left in him to adore. " 
 
 She hastily flung open the other half of the glass door, and 
 stepped out on the balcony. She had spoken with passionate 
 earnestness, her eyes flashing, her nostrils quivering, her whole 
 figure trembling with the emotion within her. 
 
 " Besides, he had it in his power to make me think differ- 
 ently; and if he had convinced me, how I would have defended 
 him by word of mouth and my pen!" she went on, twisting 
 her slender fingers round the hanging creepers. "But he 
 preferred answering my first and only question on the subject 
 by an icy glance that would have become a proud Spaniard " 
 
 " That ought to have satisfied you." 
 
 " Not at all, my dear Moriz. I think it was a good way of 
 avoiding a direct answer. I am skeptical about glances and 
 gestures; I expect something more tangible. However, to 
 show you that I am not as bad as you think, I will do no\7 
 what I longed to do at first, and that is ask you to prove to me 
 and to the world that he is innocent that he did his duty; you 
 were there, Moriz!" 
 
 He started back suddenly from the threshold of the balcony 
 as if he had been shot, and laid his hand across his brow to 
 shield his eyes from the glare of light as he replied, in a scarcely 
 audible tone of voice : 
 
 " You know that what you ask is not in my power to da 
 I am no loctor. "
 
 68 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 "That is enough, Moriz; not another word!" cried Henri- 
 ette, trembling, with the color coming and going on her cheek 
 as if she had fever. " Each attempt at defense that you make 
 when this charmingly affectionate bride-elect appears anxious 
 to have things put right, strikes me as weak and irresolute," 
 and her bright burning eyes glanced with anger and hatred on 
 her sister's beautiful face. It is to be hoped that the cruel 
 way you treat that man, Flora, will bring matters to an end, 
 and pretty soon, too, or rather and the truth may as well be 
 spoken for once that he will of himself withdraw his claim to 
 your hand as you wish him to do. He will lose nothing by 
 giving you up, you heartless girl; but, unfortunately for him, 
 he loves you, and would rather, I believe, marry you and be 
 unhappy all his life than give you up; he is so very blind. " 
 
 " What a great pity/' Flora remarked from over her 
 shoulder. 
 
 " And for that very reason I'll do all I can to open his 
 eyes," added Henrietta, with trembling lips and a broken 
 voice. 
 
 The amused side glance which Flora cast on her excited and 
 angry younger sister was fast deepening into a sarcastic curl of 
 her mouth ; when a sudden thought seemed to change the 
 whole expression of her face. Stooping slightly forward she 
 laid her arm round the girl's ill-grown figure, and whispered 
 in her ear, with a sardonic smile: 
 
 " Make him happy yourself, little one. / won't put any 
 opposition in your way, of that you may be quite sure!" 
 
 To what degree of petty arrogance will not a woman stoop 
 to avenge her fancied wrongs on one of her own sex! Kathe 
 stood near enough to the sisters to hear the hissed whisper, and 
 although she made no remark, her eyes flashed the scorn and 
 contempt she felt. 
 
 Flora looked up and caught the expression. 
 
 " Why, what a face you are making, child! can't you under- 
 stand a bit of fun?" she said, half amused, half perplexed. 
 " I am not doing your nursling any harm, although I have 
 full right to put an end, if I chose, to Heuriette's malicious 
 remarks. These two people, you must know," and she point- 
 ed to the counselor and Henriette, " have taken it into their 
 heads that they must keep watch on my morals; and you, 
 just fresh from school, only just free yourself from rules and 
 regulations, must needs aid and abet them against me. You 
 are a little donkey if you think I shall care for your verdict 
 against me!" 
 
 She laughed merrily as she finished, and leaning over the
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 63 
 
 balcony shook a branch of one of the nut-trees, causing a 
 pigeon which had settled there to fly upward in the glistening 
 air. 
 
 " Kathe, look at her! a moment ago she was resting on the 
 branch by the side of her companions, but now she has spread 
 her silver wings and mounted high above our heads, and from 
 her proud position in the lonely heavens appears very inde 
 pendent to eyes looking at her from below. Perhaps you will 
 understand something of what I mean. Apropos, Moriz," she 
 said, suddenly interrupting herself and beckoning to him to 
 come out again on the balcony, " Doctor Bruck's new prop- 
 erty must lie down behind that copse, that wretched old place 
 he has just bought; I can see smoke curling above the trees." 
 
 " Because fire is burning in the stove, I have no doubt/' 
 said the counselor, gayly; " his aunt arrived yesterday." 
 
 " What, in that neglected old place?" 
 
 " Yes. But then the late castle miller was far too sensible 
 a landlord to let his property go to ruin. The place is in 
 first-rate repair; not a nail is wanting to the floors, or a tile 
 out of place on the roof." 
 
 " Hope she will enjoy it! For her the place is not so bad 
 her old-fashioned furniture and the picture of her deceased 
 husband will correspond with those walls, and she will have 
 plenty of space in which to preserve and bake to her heart's 
 content and there is an inexhaustible supply of water for her 
 scouring." 
 
 And Flora shuddered and pretended to be cold, and drew 
 around her the costly shawl which had fallen from her shoul- 
 ders, and gathered her skirts from the floor, as if she had been 
 suddenly obliged to stand in a freshly scoured room. " Let 
 us shut the doors," she said, quitting the balcony and entering 
 the room; " the wind brings the smoke and damp this way 
 Bah!" she added, waving her fine handkerchief before her face 
 and dilating her nostrils; " I believe the good woman is cook- 
 ing pancakes now, though I don't suppose she has a chair to 
 sit down on in the house she must always be at something in 
 the kitchen." And so saying Flora shut the doors. 
 
 Meanwhile Henriette had left the room Flora's whisper 
 had shocked her terribly, and made her feel as if she had 
 suddenly awoke from a troubled sleep to find herself on the 
 edge of a dangerous precipice. She did not answer, but her 
 pale cheeks grew white as marble, and presently x unnoticed 
 by Flora, she rose from her seat and crept slowly away up to 
 the highest garret in the tower, where only the doves and the
 
 64 IN THE COUNSELOR'S nousi:. 
 
 jackdavs had their haunt, and where the poor girl knew that 
 she would be alone for a time. 
 
 When she was gone Kathe also took up her parasol, and 
 moved toward the door. She felt instinctively that Henriette 
 would like to be alone, so she did not think of following her; 
 but the richly furnished room, with its subtle pref ume of exotic 
 flowers, and Flora's restless, capricious movements, made her 
 long to be out in the open air, and she announced her depart- 
 ure by saying that she was going to pay Susanne a visit at the 
 mill. 
 
 " But why in such a hurry?" asked the counselor; " you 
 can see Susanne to-morrow." 
 
 " I would rather go to-day," she replied. 
 
 " Well, go, then! he said, angrily, for he saw that she was 
 impatient to be away. " But first look here!" He drew aside 
 a heavy Gobelin curtain, behind which, in a deep niche in the 
 wall, stood a new iron safe. 
 
 " That belongs to you, Kathe/' he said, in a softer tone; 
 " that is your ' Tree, little tree, each time I shake thee, shower 
 down gold and silver on me/ " and he touched the safe ca- 
 ressingly. " Everything your grandfather possessed in house 
 and lands, forest and meadows, is there represented on paper. 
 These papers are busy as bees working day and night in your 
 service. They are pouring streams of gold to all parts of the 
 world, in their own quiet way. Your late grandfather, the 
 miller, made good use of his time, as the long list of his 
 possessions in his will amply proved but even he had no idea 
 of the vast amount of money their sale would realize. " 
 
 " So that you, Kathe, are by a long way the richest heiress 
 in the country; if you choose, you can have your dining-room 
 paved with thalers on your wedding-day, like the princess in 
 the fairytale," exclaimed Flora, who had flung herself back in 
 a luxurious easy-chair and was holding a book in her hand. 
 " Great pity you have so much money, child, for I am afraid 
 that you have not been brought up in the right way for dis- 
 playing your wealth advantageously before the world." 
 
 ; ' We must wait and see," replied the young girl, merrily. 
 " Just now I have no right to spend one thaler of all my fort- 
 une as I like. But for the sake of the castle mill, I would 
 give anything to be of age, and use a little of the gold there, if 
 only for one day," and she pointed to the iron safe with a 
 sigh. " Does it inconvenience you, fair lady?" 
 
 " My mill? no more than my young life, Moriz. But yes- 
 terday I was talking to Franz in the garden, which is large aixj 
 extends so far that he is forced to leave the part down by the
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 65 
 
 road uncultivated. He was saying that he means to suggest 
 to you to sell that bit, as it would be a splendid site for a 
 villa, and would fetch a good price; but I think that we have 
 no need to do any such thing, and and I should like to let 
 jonie of your men have it to build cottages on, those you know 
 who want to be near your spinning manufactory and " 
 
 " Make them a present of it, Kathe?" 
 
 " That I didn't mean exactly, and you need not snub me so 
 sarcastically, Moriz: I know I shall be accused here of having 
 sentimental ideas and far-fetched notions! Besides, the work- 
 men don't ask or want charity, as Doctor Brack says " 
 
 "As Doctor Brack says, indeed! Has he already become 
 your o ra.de, Kathe?" cried Flora, springing up from her seat, 
 dashing down her book, and fixing her eyes questioningly on 
 her young half-sister's face. 
 
 The earnest gaze made Kathe blush for a second; but meet- 
 ing her eyes with a cold, indifferent expression shining out of 
 her own clear, truthful orbs, Kathe went on earnestly, with- 
 out noticing Flora's interruption: 
 
 " I know the value of self -earned reward how much dearer 
 it is than any present and that is why I would like the work- 
 men to have the ground at the same price as they offered to 
 pay you for the corner they asked for, on your property. " 
 
 " You would make a brilliant business woman, Kathe!" re- 
 plied the counselor, laughing aloud. " My barren bit of land 
 would have been a bad bargain, if it had gone at the price 
 they offered and the piece you would part with is rich and 
 fertile, besides being in the heart of the property. No, no, 
 child, however much I might feel inclined to accede to your 
 request, my position as your guardian forbids my giving you 
 the power, if only for one hour, of doing as you wish in this 
 instance. " 
 
 " Then the building project must lie by for awhile," she 
 replied, neither angry nor annoyed at his refusal of her re- 
 quest; " three years hence I shall think exactly as I do now on 
 the subject of that I am quite convinced and when I am of 
 age I shall let the men have a bit of land without one farth- 
 ing's interest on their money. " 
 
 And she nodded her head with a merry gesture of defiance 
 and left the room. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 KATHE slowly descended the winding stairs, the upper half 
 of which were so narrow that the phantom of one of the old
 
 66 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 knights would scarcely have found room to pass her, even if 
 he had cared to leave his grave and revisit the home of his an- 
 cestors. 
 
 Just ahove her head on the wall of the landing-place hung 
 the arms of the old family the right of their noble birth, the 
 instrument for which they had fought and died, for the honor 
 of which they gave up lands and houses, and became them- 
 selves strangers in the land of their forefathers. There it 
 nung, disfigured and discolored, and out of sight, while the in- 
 strument which had taken its place in this hall of a newly 
 created noble was a modern iron safe! 
 
 She left the tower, and wandered away down to the bridge. 
 Leaning over the parapet for a few moments, she gazed into 
 fche water, not at the shadow of the overhanging branches, 
 but at the image of her own face, with the coils of dark-brown 
 hair crowning the top of her small, well-shaped head. These 
 same coils of hair she had been told she ought to put into the 
 hands of a maid; that a young lady of her position and wealth 
 had no need or right to keep them in order herself to which 
 she had replied that she had " no intention of turning into a 
 dummy for several hours of the day/' while experienced hands 
 plaited and twisted her hair into a fashionable style, " that, 
 after all," added the willful girl, as a clinching argument 
 against Mme. Urach's earnest entreaty for her to have a maid, 
 " might not become me. Oh, yes! it is very pleasant to be 
 rich; but I like to be free too." And the old lady wisely for 
 the time allowed the subject to drop. 
 
 Leaving the bridge, Kathe walked on, following the direc- 
 tion of the stream, till she reached the old woolen bridge, 
 across which lay Susanne's drying-ground, and, just beyond 
 again, the picturesque old house, standing on the borders of 
 the forest, with its irregular outline distinctly marked against 
 the dark background of the foliage, and the river flowing 
 almost close to the steps of the door. 
 
 It was a low, one-storied house, the roof rising like a thatched 
 cottage from immediately above the windows, surmounted by 
 a golden weather-cock and a massive row of chimney-pots, 
 from one of which smoke was issuing in curling rings a thing 
 that had not been seen there for many a long year; for in the 
 miller's time the house was used as a place in which to deposit 
 fruit, and that only in one room. The window-shutters, from 
 one year's end to the other, were never unfastened, till they 
 must have adhered to the window-frames; and in the fruit 
 season only once now and again the hall door was unlatched, 
 in order to admit Susanne when she fetched the baskets of
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 67 
 
 apples and pears needed for the regular weekly household sup- 
 ply. And then it was that Kathe, as a little girl, had crept in 
 by her side, and filled her tiny apron with the luscious fruit, 
 frightened, while she did so, at the darkness reigning around 
 her. 
 
 To-day, for the first time, she saw glass shining in the 
 deep window embrasures, one or two of which were partly 
 open, and, moved by a curiosity stronger than she had any 
 power or wish to resist, she crossed the old bridge and went 
 straight up to the house. 
 
 Her heart beat fast, and her breath came and went quicker 
 than usual; for she knew that the house belonged to Dr. 
 Bruck, and that she had no right to be wandering around it in 
 this idle, curious way. But as soon as her feet had touched 
 the soft grass plat, and her eyes had caught sight of the spar- 
 rows twittering on the roof, she seemed to forget every other 
 sensation but delight and astonishment in the lively, inhabited 
 appearance of the deserted old building. 
 
 She wandered round the sides and back of the place, peering 
 into the rooms, looking now at a green table-cloth hung out of 
 one window, and then at the shining cooking utensils visible 
 through another, till she reached the west corner, and was 
 about to continue along the front part of the house, when she 
 started and stood still, with a hot flush of shame at her 
 thoughtless behavior covering her face and reaching to the 
 roots of her hair. 
 
 For, at the hall door, which divided the old-fashioned house 
 into two parts, on the top of the steps which led down to a 
 wide-spreading lawn, stood a lady a refined, gentle-looking 
 woman whom Kathe intuitively guessed must be Dr. Brack's 
 aunt, the widowed mistress of the house. She was dusting a 
 picture she held in her hand; and as Kathe drew near, she 
 looked at the young girl with surprise depicted plainly on her 
 face, and laid the frame on a table covered with books and 
 pictures that stood on the doorstep at her side. 
 
 She was a very different person to the bustling, stout, some- 
 what vulgar woman, who cared for nothing but house-cleaning 
 and cooking, she had imagined Dr. Brack's aunt must be 
 from Flora's sarcastic description of her. 
 
 Glancing at her gentle face, the timid girl hurried forward, 
 and when she reached the lowest of the three steps, she stam- 
 mered out, by way of apology for her appearance near the 
 house: 
 
 " I played here as a child, and I have only returned from 
 Dresden a few days and that is my sister."
 
 68 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 And she pointed to the picture the lady had. just placed on 
 the table, and then burst into a merry peal of laughter at her 
 own awkward manner of introducing herself. 
 
 The lady smiled as if amused, and, moving down the steps, 
 neld out both hands, saying: 
 
 " Then you must be Doctor Brack's youngest future sister- 
 in-law. " A shadow flitted over her face as she added, rather 
 bitterly: " I was not aware that there were visitors at the 
 villa." 
 
 It was now Kathe's turn for a shadow to cross over her 
 bright laughing eyes: was she then such a mere cipher, such 
 a mere member of the , Mangold family in Dr. Brack's esti- 
 mation, that he had not thought it worth while to mention his 
 interview with her at the mill? 
 
 She bit her lips, and silently obeyed the lady's graceful in- 
 vitation to enter the house, as, opening one of the side doors 
 and entering the room with a dignity that charmed Kathe in 
 spite of her momentary annoyance, she said, in a friendly tone : 
 
 " This is my private room, and my home henceforth to the 
 end," adding, with a smile: " Perhaps you can hardly under- 
 stand the feeling of perfect rest and contentment which this 
 thought brings to me. I always lived in the country till my 
 husband had a curacy given him in town, a year or two before his 
 death, and although he thought it best to accept the appoint- 
 ment, we both regretted leaving the little parsonage where we 
 had spent our happiest years, though our income was so small 
 that, with all our economy and care, it was often a difficult 
 matter to meet our simple expenses. I dislike the dust and 
 noise of town life, and the last few years I longed so much to 
 return to the green fields and fresh air of the country that 
 my health began to fail. I said nothing of course to the doc- 
 tor; and only a few days ago I discovered that he had spent 
 his savings of years to satisfy this craving of mine, and bought 
 this place. He brought me to see it in the afternoon of the 
 day he purchased it, and never shall I forget the delight and 
 surprise I felt when he told me that henceforth I was to live 
 here." And her voice faltered with emotion as she turned her 
 head aside to hide the tears in her eyes, while Kathe wondered 
 to herself why, if she felt so deeply her nephew's kindness, she 
 should speak of him as the " Doctor," and not call him by 
 his name. 
 
 Presently the lady smiled again, and said, in a confiding tone 
 as if she had known her young visitor for years: 
 
 " It's a genuine little castle, isn't it? Look at those massive 
 folding doors and that grand stucco work on the ceiling! and
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 69 
 
 those old-fashioned leather hangings, with their blackened gold 
 ornaments, must once have been very costly. And outside in 
 the garden there are the remains of many valuable sandstone 
 figures and other ornaments. I am convinced that this place 
 was at one time the dower-house of the old Baumgarten family. 
 I shall hunt up its history some day but I have only had time 
 as yet to arrange the rooms a little, and have the stoves 
 warmed, for I fancy the walls are a little damp, otherwise the 
 house is in perfect repair, not a window broken or a nail want- 
 ing." 
 
 While the elder lady thus chatted on, Kathe had been quiet- 
 ly observing the contents of the room. The dark, well-worn 
 mahogany furniture suited to perfection the rich, faded leather 
 hangings. Not far from the queer-shaped voluted china stove 
 stood the roomy sofa covered with chintz, above which hung a 
 portrait in pastilles of the late curate in his clerical robes. A 
 group of exquisite plants, azaleas, cactus and gum-trees occu- 
 pied the space on either side of the window, and the deep em- 
 brasure itself was filled in with sweet-smelling hyacinths, deli- 
 cate white narcissus and other spring flowers. On a small 
 stand placed in the sunlight half a dozen gold and silver fish 
 were swimming in a globe, above which hung an antiquated 
 canary cage, suspended by a chain from a hook in the ceiling. 
 In a niche in one side of the room, ornamented with ivy, stood 
 a work-basket with a low chair and stool in front of it. 
 
 " Those are my pet plants. I have cultivated them entire- 
 ly myself," said the curate's widow, following her young vis- 
 itor's surprised glance at the rich floral show in the window. 
 " The best of them all, of course, I had placed in the doctor's 
 room," she added, opening the door leading into an adjoining 
 apartment and bidding Kaihe enter. This apartment was a 
 corner room, the best " of course " the house afforded, with 
 the windows opening to the south and west sides. 
 
 How quietly and gently she uttered that expression, " of 
 course!" To Kathe, young girl as she was, it was a simple 
 revelation of the true womanly devotion and affection this 
 childless widowed lady bestowed upon her nephew in return 
 for his care of and affection for her. From here could be seen 
 the most beautiful scenery in the park and neighborhood. In 
 the distance, beyond the flowing river, the gray top of the villa 
 was just visible, so that as the young doctor sat at his writ- 
 ing-table he had only to raise his eyes in order to catch a 
 glimpse of the golden weather-cock which surmounted the 
 house wherein dwelt the beautiful girl he hoped to make his 
 wife. Kathe felt her cheeks burn with anger and indignation
 
 70 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 as she thought of the sweet illusion this man was indulging in, 
 while the beautiful object of his love, her faithless sister, was 
 scheming night and day to find an honorable excuse in the eyes 
 of the world to dash that illusion to the ground by withdraw- 
 ing from her engagement. Did he but know it, the whisper, 
 "Make him happy yourself," would have accomplished her 
 end. 
 
 Did the warm-hearted, affectionate aunt, who stood near 
 her while these thoughts coursed through her brain, instinct- 
 ively feel that a terrible sorrow was hovering over the future 
 of her much-loved nephew? She had received Kathe with all 
 the confidence that her position as the youngest future sister- 
 in-law of her nephew demanded; she had not thought it neces- 
 sary to introduce herself as Dr. Brack's aunt, but now, as she 
 looked anxiously at the young girl's grave troubled face and 
 remembered she had only returned to the villa a few days 
 since, an uneasy feeling she could not account for took posses- 
 sion of her, and made her involuntarily remark, after a mo- 
 ment's pause: 
 
 " The room is not quite finished yet. I have the large 
 photograph of the doctor's betrothed wife to hang up over 
 there/' and she pointed to a space on the wall between the 
 window, " also an oil-painting of his mother, my dear and 
 only sister." 
 
 Then she went on to say that she expected him to arrive in 
 town by the evening train, that he had no idea that she had 
 left her old apartments, but that, wishing to give him a pleas- 
 ant surprise, she had persuaded the kind counselor to allow her 
 to obtain the keys of the new house that she might have all in 
 readiness against her nephew's return. 
 
 During this explanation the elderly lady had moved gently 
 to and fro about the room, putting the final touches to the 
 curtains and ornaments, as quietly as if the doctor himself 
 were sitting at his table writing. Then, after dipping her 
 hands in a basin of fresh water in the hall and wiping them 
 on a clean white cloth, she went to a cupboard in the doctor's 
 room and taking out a plate of sweet cakes offered them smil- 
 ingly to Kathe, saying: 
 
 " They are quite fresh. I found time to bake them this 
 morning after my early cup of coffee, for the doctor alway? 
 likes to have some by him to give to small troublesome 
 patients. Wine I can't offer you the few bottles I had by 
 me I left in town they belong to those patients who are seri- 
 ously ill and need support. " 
 
 The tears sprung intv Kathe's eyes as she thought of the
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 71 
 
 " papers " in the new iron safe, which could " pour streams 
 of gold to every quarter of the world,'* of the well-filled wine- 
 cellar in the tower, which Henriette had told her contained 
 " mountains of bottles, full of rich old wine," and of her in- 
 dolent sister lounging on the easy-chair smoking a cigarette of 
 rare and fabulous value. Contrasting these things with the 
 simple life, and habits, and speech of the kind-hearted lady 
 before her, the young girl lost her timidity and reserve, and 
 five minutes later was relating to this apparent strangei the 
 history of her short eighteen years, of her home and duties in 
 Dresden, and the busy life led by her governess as the wife of 
 a parish doctor in the town, who had taught her young pupil 
 to follow her example, and to minister with her own hands, 
 not only to the wants and needs of the poor around, but to 
 every one else who had any claim on her affection or sym- 
 pathy. 
 
 " But what does Madame Urach think of such an education 
 for you?" asked the elderly lady, smiling a soft, amused smile, 
 as she glanced admiringly at the blooming young face by her 
 side. 
 
 "I don't know, " replied Kathe, shrugging her shoulder? 
 with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, " but I think she con- 
 siders my movements too impetuous, my voice too loud, and 
 that on the whole I am too strong and healthy, and not pale 
 enough. No one knows how my bright spirits distress her 
 they are not lady-like. Is that the portrait of your sister, ma- 
 dame?" asked the girl, abruptly changing the conversation, 
 and walking over to the side of the room where an oil-paint- 
 ing was placed against the wall. 
 
 " Yes. I shall be anxious about it till it is hung up in its 
 place, for the frame is a little shaken, I fear; but I suffer from 
 giddiness, and dare not venture to mount the steps to hang it 
 up, so it must wait till the new maid arrives. I expect her 
 this evening. I was obliged to leave the putting up of my 
 bed-curtains for the same unfortunate reason." 
 
 In an instant Kathe's parasol and hat were laid on the table, 
 and the nosegay of wild flowers she had gathered on the road 
 unthinkingly placed in a crystal glass that stood by the writ- 
 ing materials. Giving the table a push into the middle of the 
 room, she took up the hammer and nails lying 011 the window- 
 sill and said, coaxingly: 
 
 " Let me do it!" 
 
 " What a kind, useful little woman you are," was the older 
 lady's smiling assent to this unexpected proposal, as she pointed 
 to a high narrow stool for Kathe to stand on.
 
 73 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSTu 
 
 In a very few moments the picture was in its place, and 
 then the old lady handed her the photograph to hang up also, 
 saying, as she gently removed a little dust from the glass: 
 
 " What a lovely face it is! I don't know her very well, I 
 have seen her so seldom. Naturally I couldn't expect her to 
 come and see an old woman like me very often, but she is very 
 dear to me, since she loves the doctor and means to make him 
 happy." 
 
 Kathe shrunk back for a moment. After all she had heard 
 in the tower not an hour ago, how could she deliberately place 
 before the eyes of the deceived man the portrait which no 
 longer virtually belonged to him any more than the ring he 
 wore on his finger? Both would soon have to be returned to 
 the heartless girl who had played with her lover's feelings as a 
 cat plays with a mouse, and yet Kathe dared not utter one 
 word of the bitter truth. She felt so false and so like a hypo- 
 crite by her silence, that she all but let the picture fall to the 
 ground as she took it out of the old lady's hand. Hitting the 
 nail with such force that it made the old wall shake, she 
 hastily twisted the cord over it and sprung to the ground. In- 
 voluntarily glancing at her work as she replaced the table, she 
 fancied the beautiful mouth curled in a triumphant wicked 
 smile of demoniacal delight. 
 
 Kathe snatched up her hat and parasol and turned to leave 
 the room as quickly as possible. She had reached the thresh- 
 old and was uttering a hasty farewell, when her eyes caught 
 sight of an open door on her right, through which she could 
 Bee the old lady's uncurtained bed with the steps beside it. 
 
 " I had forgotten that!" she exclaimed. " Please let me 
 do it," she added, in answer to her companion's objection, and 
 hurrying into the chamber she lifted the clean chintz curtains 
 from the bed, and mounted the steps. She had put half the 
 rings through the iron rail running round the head of the bed- 
 stead, when she raised her eyes and saw the tall figure of a 
 man passing before the window. She recognized him in a mo- 
 ment, but ere she could make up her mind if she should re- 
 main where she was or dismount from her exalted position, 
 he had crossed the outer hall and entered the room. 
 
 The elderly lady, who was mixing a glass of raspberry vine- 
 gar for her " useful little guest," turned round at the sound 
 of heavy footsteps, and exclaiming: 
 
 - " Leo, my boy, you here?" threw herself into the young 
 man's arms. 
 
 Half hidden behind the partly hung curtains, Kathe wit- 
 nessed the tender manner in which the doctor bei\t over his
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSB. 73 
 
 aged relative, as he lifted her hand from his shoulder and kissed 
 it reverentially. Then raising his head he glanced with pleased 
 surprise round the room. 
 
 Well, Leo, what do you think of my quitting town with- 
 out your leave?" asked his aunt. 
 
 " I sha'ii't find fault certainly, though you must have been 
 doing a great deal too much for your strength. But you are 
 looking well, better than when I left you in town." 
 
 " But you are not, Leo," she interrupted, anxiously. " You 
 are not half so strong looking as you were, and here some- 
 thing" troubles you, I am sure," and she touched his brow with 
 her finger. " Has anything gone wrong with your patients?" 
 
 " No, aunt/' He spoke distinctly and assuringly, but in a 
 tone that admitted of no further questioning on the subject. 
 " How pleasant the room looks," he added, walking slowly up 
 and down the floor with his hands behind him. " The peace 
 a refined woman's presence brings is very sweet to a hard- 
 working man. This is why I always come back to you, aunt, 
 and feel refreshed. I like your old-fashioned furniture and 
 your gentle ways. I shall often stay here. " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I dare say," answered the old lady, smiling arch- 
 ly, " until a certain day hi June arrives. Your marriage is to 
 be at Whitsuntide. " 
 
 " Yes, on Whit-Monday," he replied, in a firm ringing tone 
 of voice. 
 
 Kathe began to feel very uncomfortable. She held her 
 breath and crouched down behind the curtains in the hope that 
 each moment the doctor would quit the room and leave her 
 free to descend from her exalted position unobserved and with 
 dignity. In spite of her vexation of being thus unwillingly 
 forced into the awkward predicament of a witness to the aunt 
 and nephew's interview, she could not help smiling at the 
 ridiculous figure she would cut if chance willed it that he 
 raised his eyes in her direction, and caught sight of her foot 
 through the rungs of the steps on which she stood. She re- 
 belled against her enforced presence, but had not sufficient 
 courage to boldly descend from her perch and face the surprise 
 of the doctor. She softly drew back a corner of the curtain 
 and anxiously watched his movements. But instead of leaving 
 the room he stood still by the table and took up a letter ad- 
 dressed to him which lay on a pile of books. 
 
 The moment his aunt noticed what he was doing the color 
 deepened in her face, and she darted forward as if to take tb.3 
 paper out of his hand, but changing her mind, she exclaimed: 
 
 " AJi, poor me! how forgetful I'm growing! The letter
 
 74 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 only came an hour or two ago from that man Senz, the mer- 
 chant. It was not to be given you till to-morrow. I believe 
 it contains the payment of your salary, and at this unusual 
 time, too, it makes me fear that " 
 
 "Yes, he too dismisses me as his family physician," said 
 the young doctor, quietly throwing the letter and its inclosed 
 check on the table. " Why do you grieve over it, aunt?" 
 
 " I? I don't, my dear, now that I see that you don't take 
 the ingratitude of that man to heart. I firmly believe in you 
 and your medical skill and your lucky star," she answered, 
 in her soft, womanly voice. " The misfortune and ill-will 
 you have to contend with just now I don't pay any attention 
 to. You will make your way yet, my boy; you know you 
 will." Then pointing to the adjoining apartment, she added: 
 " Come and look at your room and see how snug and undis- 
 turbed you will be while you work and think. You can't tell, 
 Leo, how delighted I am that we are to be together for a few 
 weeks longer, and that I shall be able to take care of you. " 
 
 " Yes, you kind old aunt; but all those small sacrifices that 
 you have been making the last two or three months because 
 you thought my affairs were going badly must be put a stop 
 to. You sha'n't trouble your dear old head again about pre- 
 paring my dinner; if possible, we'll have back our old cook. 
 I can afford it. Look!" and he took a heavy purse from his 
 pocket, opened it, and emptied its contents on the table. 
 
 The old lady clasped her hands together in speechless aston- 
 ishment at the number of shining gold pieces on her simple 
 table-cloth. 
 
 "That is only one single fee, aunt," he said, with visible 
 satisfaction. " Hard times are over, thank God!" and he 
 turned round and left the room ere his astonished old aunt had 
 time to ask which of his patients it was who had rewarded Mm 
 with this substantial sum. 
 
 Now was the moment for Kathe to escape from her awkward 
 position. Her heart beating, and her cheeks burning with 
 shame at having secretly overheard the foregoing conversation, 
 she slipped down the steps as soon as the old lady had followed 
 her nephew, and noiselessly escaped across the hall to the steps 
 outside. Glancing back furtively into the corner room, she 
 saw the aunt and nephew standing by the writing-table, and 
 heard the latter say: 
 
 " What lovely little wild flowers! How kind of you to re- 
 member how fond I am of these little blue spring flowers!" 
 
 An exclamation from the old lady made him start with sur- 
 prise.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 75 
 
 " It was not I, Leo, it was Kathe Mangold put them in the 
 glass; she is here, and I had forgotten all about her my poor 
 old head!" and she hurried from the room to find her guest 
 and apologize to her for her forgetf ulness. 
 
 But Kathe had gently closed the door ere she reached the 
 hall, and was out of sight through the copse as quickly as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 Presently the young girl turned, and slowly walked back to 
 the house. When she drew near the windows she saw a firm, 
 strong, manly hand draw the hyacinth pots slightly apart and 
 place between them a crystal glass of blue forget-me-nots; it 
 was her nosegay that he had evidently removed from his own 
 table and brought in there to the dining-room. 
 
 Kathe started and blushed, for in spite of her unnoticed es- 
 cape from the house she had nevertheless placed herself in an 
 awkward position. What would he be likely to think of her, 
 a young girl, for placing a glass of his favorite flowers on his 
 table in his private study? Would he imagine she had gath- 
 ered them on purpose? 
 
 Tears of vexation and annoyance rose to her eyes, but mas- 
 tering her emotion, she said, as quietly as she could: 
 
 " Will you kindly hand me my flowers, Herr Doctor? They 
 belong to me ; I put them down for a moment on the table and 
 forgot them;" and she raised her hands to receive the nosegay. 
 
 At first it seemed as if her unexpected voice had startled 
 him, for he half knocked over one of the narcissus pots; but 
 although it somewhat annoyed him to find that his action had 
 been seen by Kathe, he replied pleasantly, in a voice that as- 
 sured her that he had not meant to reprove her by removing 
 the flowers from his room. 
 
 " I will bring them out to you, fraulein." 
 
 A moment later his flowing beard and broad shoulders ap- 
 peared outside on the top of the steps, and he handed her the 
 glass with a polite inclination of his handsome head. She 
 took the flowers and said, smiling: 
 
 " They are bright, brave little things to come out so quickly 
 in the April sun, but they need so much hunting after that 
 when at last one has found a handful of them they ought to be 
 prized higher than a basketful of hot-house flowers, and the 
 young girl looked fearlessly up in the doctor's face, feeling 
 convinced that he would not now imagine she had left them on 
 his table as a token of their new relationship. 
 
 Then the old lady put her head out of the window and apolo- 
 gized for her forgetf ulness of her guest in the joy of welcom-
 
 96 MT THE COUKSELOR'S HOUSE, 
 
 ing her dear nephew, adding an urgent and warm entreatj foJ 
 Kathe to come and see her us often as she could. 
 
 " In a few weeks Fraulein Kathe returns to Dresden/' ro 
 plied the doctor, quickly, 
 
 " I may remain longer, Herr Doctor; perhaps I shall stay 
 here a few months even," she answered, wondering if he feared 
 that she had been talking to his aunt about his peculiar posi- 
 tion with regard to Flora; and longing to assure him that she 
 respected his desire to keep his own affairs to himself, yet won- 
 dering again what this could have to do with her stay at the 
 villa. " Besides," she added, after a pause, " as Henriette's 
 physician, you will be the best judge of when she will be well 
 enough for me to leave her and return to Dresden." 
 
 " Do you intend nursing Henriette?" 
 
 " Of course I do, and I think it a great shame that she has 
 hitherto been nursed only by servants; she has very bad nights, 
 and she told me herself that she would rather pass them alone 
 than have a sleepy, disagreeable person by her side in case she 
 needs help. That must not occur again, I shall stay with 
 her." 
 
 " You are taking upon yourself more than you imagine, 
 fraulein. Henriette is very ill, and will require long and 
 patient nursing," he added, shading his eyes with his hand. 
 
 " I know that," replied Kathe, gravely, her cheeks paling. 
 " But I have courage " 
 
 " I don't doubt it for a moment, any more than I do your 
 patience or your kind-heartedness; but it is not a question of 
 conjecture as to time. I can not possibly give my consent to 
 your accepting the post of head nurse; physically you could 
 not endure the fatigue. " 
 
 "I?" and the girl held up her arm and looked proudly at 
 its round, plump appearance, as she smiled incredulously and 
 said, warmly: " Don't you think your fears on that score may 
 be set at rest, Herr Doctor? I come of a good healthy family. 
 I take after my grandmother, who was a peasant you know, or 
 rather a woodman's daughter; she used to go about barefoot, 
 and could handle an ax better than her brothers. Susanne 
 told me that." 
 
 The young man looked up at the open window, and caught 
 his old aunt regarding his companion with a strange look of 
 admiration shining in her eyes. His own face immediately 
 clouded. 
 
 " It's not a question of muscular strength," he said, evasive- 
 ly; " as a rule it is not so necessary in a sick-room, aud we 
 must think of your nerveaj however, it is not for nie to deter*
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOtJSE. 7? 
 
 mine the point of your stay. That is Moriz 's affair; he is your 
 guardian and he will decide when it is best you should return 
 to Dresden/' and the last words were uttered in a more deter- 
 mined tone than was usual with the pleasant-spoken doctor. 
 
 His aunt shrunk back and looked at him questioningly, but 
 Kathe stood quite still. 
 
 " Why are you so inflexible? Why do you seem so anxioua 
 that my guardian should be hard and unyielding on this sub- 
 ject?" the girl asked in her musical voice. " Are you afraid 
 I shall do harm by staying; I don't think Moriz has power 
 over me to keep me from nursing my sister if I choose. What 
 do you say to her going with me to Dresden? There my old 
 friend will share the nursing with me; that won't hurt my 
 nerves/' and she smiled again. 
 
 " I will see what I can do/' he replied. 
 
 " In that case I promise to fly away from here as fast and 
 as soon as possible/' replied Kathe, with a grateful expression 
 in her eyes which made him turn away his own and remain 
 silent. 
 
 " Are you then so very anxious to be gone?" asked the old 
 lady, with a slight reproach ringing in the sound of her voice. 
 
 The young girl drew the gauze scarf which had fallen on her 
 shoulders, and which she had worn instead of a hat, over her 
 head, and tied it firmly under her chin, ere she answered, 
 laughingly: 
 
 " Ought I to say ' no ' for politeness' sake, madame? I am 
 afraid that as things are I shall be obliged to take my place in 
 the world and conform to its capricious usages, but I have no 
 intention of giving up my individual freedom of thought. I 
 am as much a stranger to the grandmother of my half-sister 
 now as I was when dear papa made me kiss her hand as a lit- 
 tle girl. She does not understand me at all, and I shrink away 
 from her, and would like to hide myself in a corner as I did 
 when a child. How cold the house seems!" and she shivered. 
 ' There is too much marble, it chills one's feet. That is why 
 Moriz has become such a formal, stately man. Yes, dear ma- 
 dame, I shall be delighted to return to Dresden as soon as pos- 
 sible provided Henriette goes with me, for I love her dearly; 
 if she does not," and the girl dropped the bantering tone she 
 had adopted toward the old lady " if she is not allowed to go, 
 then I shall do my best to remain where I am, even to run- 
 ning the risk of obliging Moriz to use physical force for my 
 removal to Dresden. 
 
 With a friendly nod to his aunt and a slight bow to the doo 
 tor, she turned off on her road to visit old Susanne.
 
 F8 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE factory clock had chimed out seven, yet Kathe was still 
 sitting in the bow-window at the Mill-house. She had yielded 
 to Susanne's wish, and inspected the contents of the linen- 
 press, had listened to the old woman's complaints that she wa? 
 not yet strong enough to " look after things a bit," and to hei- 
 grumblings about the inspector's wife, whom she did not trust 
 implicitly, although she was a " good, kind soul." But Kathe 
 had not taken much interest to-day in all these things, and 
 felt glad when Susanne had gone to bed and left her to herself 
 in the dimly lighted room. 
 
 With her hands lying idly in her lap, and her head resting 
 against the back of her chair, the young girl gave herself up 
 to thinking. She was in no hurry to leave the mill; when the 
 twilight hour was over, she would still have ample time to 
 walk back to the villa and change her dress before joining the 
 family circle at eight. 
 
 This twilight hour with its soft beauty and subdued hush 
 was an unknown pleasure at the villa. There the moment the 
 sun was down the shutters were closed, and the brilliant gas- 
 chandeliers were lighted, and every shadow and half tint driven 
 mercilessly away out of sight. But in Dresden how sweetly 
 this hour was prized by all the inmates of the house, when gen- 
 tle words were spoken and kindly thoughts exchanged, which 
 gave impetus and encouragement to each for the labors of the 
 following day. 
 
 The monotonous swaying to and fro of the pendulum of the 
 xvooden clock in the corner of the big room was dull and 
 heavy; but it reminded the young girl of the evenings spent in 
 the same room when she was a little child, and listened with 
 delight and yet trembling to the fairy tales related by old 
 Susanne as she sat spinning by the stove. 
 
 She glanced round the vast apartment, shrouded in the ap- 
 proaching darkness, and half shuddered as her eyes rested on the 
 spot where her grandfather had died; and then she went on to 
 think of the strange remarks made by the doctor when first 
 she arrived, when she questioned him about the old man's 
 death unheeded by her as to its full meaning at the time, but 
 now so well understood by the light of the knowledge that had 
 come to her since. 
 
 Well, all the world might say to the contrary, but she could 
 tot and would not believe that such an earnest, truthful, up-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 79 
 
 right man as she was convinced the doctor was would 
 risked the danger of performing an operation and hastening 4 
 man's death if he had not had firm faith in his own skill and 
 experience, and the truest belief that the result of his skill 
 would be satisfactory, 
 
 And the young girl's cheeks grew hot with anger, and her 
 aeart felt heavy with sorrow, as she recalled Flora's bitter 
 sneers against Dr. Bruck's medical knowledge when they were 
 sitting in the luxuriously furnished apartments in the tower. 
 
 What a very strange woman this much-admired sister must 
 be to cut and wound to the heart's core the man she was en- 
 gaged to and had promised to marry in a very few weeks! 
 And then Kathe 's thoughts wandered off to all she had heard 
 about this same lover whom Flora pretended to despise; how 
 he had distinguished himself in the Franco-German war by his 
 courage, and skill, and bold daring; how, on the return of his 
 regiment to Berlin, he had been rewarded with a post of honor 
 and distinction, which had brought him prominently into 
 notice as a man of mark and merit; and how, at the wish of 
 his aunt, he had resigned this post and returned to M -- . 
 Here his brilliant services in the war, and the honors showered 
 upon him in Berlin, had caused him to become a much-sought- 
 after physician, and a very desirable match for the daughters 
 of the neighboring families. 
 
 Even the proud, ambitious Flora Mangold had considered it 
 no condescension on her part to favor him with a promise of 
 her hand. She had openly shown a preference for his society 
 during the first few weeks of his return to M -- ; and when, 
 a little later on, her engagement to the renowned young doc- 
 tor was publicly announced, she was congratulated by all her 
 friends, and envied by all the unmarried ladies belonging to 
 cheir neighborhood. 
 
 No wonder she shrunk from personally breaking her engage- 
 ment now that misfortune had overtaken her lover; she feared 
 the world's verdict on such conduct if it came to be known 
 that she had heartlessly Hung him over at the first breath of 
 slander touching his medical skill. So she preferred secretly 
 torturing and wounding him, till her cold indifference and 
 scornful manner should goad him into withdrawing from all 
 claim to her hand. 
 
 Kathe sprung up from her seat as the thought struck her 
 that if she remained at the villa for any length of time she 
 would have to Witness the young doctor's miserable awakening 
 from his dream of Paradise. That he loved her sister Flora 
 Devotedly and blindly she was convinced-, also that he would
 
 80 Iff THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 struggle hard to win her for his wife before acknowledging his 
 defeat. 
 
 Kathe. clinched her hands with rage as she determined 
 henceforth to support Moriz and Henriette, and oblige Flora 
 to keep to her word, and not allow her to betray the man to 
 whom she had plighted her troth. 
 
 " What a fool Flora must be to throw away so much happi- 
 ness!" muttered the young girl, angrily. " If she had only 
 seen him as I did to-day, so tender and gentle to his old aunt, 
 she would " 
 
 But Kathe checked herself, hastily pushed aside the stool at 
 her feet, and sprung across the dark room into the hall, where 
 a lamp burned brightly, and the door of the work-room stood 
 open, 'through which the burr of the mill-wheels and the hum 
 of the machines could be plainly heard. The light and the 
 noise combined to scare away the half-formed thought which 
 had involuntarily crept into the young girl's brain and fright- 
 ened her. 
 
 As she left the Mill-house and slowly walked down the stone 
 steps, the evening air cooled her hot cheeks, and made her feel 
 half ashamed of the manner in which she had spent the last 
 hour in the corner room of the old Mill-house. 
 
 The stars were shining overhead, and it was quite dark when 
 she reached the villa. Peering through one of the windows 
 where the shutters were not quite closed, she saw that the 
 drawing-room was full of visitors. Then suddenly she remem- 
 bered that this was Mme. TJrach's reception night, and, hastily 
 running round to a side entrance for fear of being seen in the 
 hall, she rushed up to her own room to change her dress. 
 
 It was nearly half past eight when Kathe entered one of the 
 drawing-rooms, where Henriette sat at the tea-table, with a 
 number of young ladies chatting and laughing about her. 
 
 " Come here, Kathe," exclaimed Henriette, as the young 
 girl appeared; " the tea is cold, I'm afraid, but you shall have 
 some fresh made if you like. ' ' 
 
 " No, thank you, dear," replied Kathe, looking anxiously 
 at the pale, drawn face of the invalid girl, whose eyes were 
 shining feverishly, and whose emaciated angular figure looked 
 almost grotesque, by reason of the scarlet sleeveless jacket she 
 wore over a bright blue silk dress. Her fair hair was adorned 
 with ribbons of the same brilliant hue, and the little shoe peep- 
 ing from under her skirts had attached to it a rosette of color 
 to match her jacket. 
 
 " Doctor Bruck has come back, " whispered Henriette, in a 
 low, trembling voice, nodding her head toward tlie musio-
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 81 
 
 room, where some one was murdering a popular raise on a 
 grand piano; " he is not there, but in Flora's room beyond. 
 Kathe, doesn't he look as if he had grown taller since he went 
 away? Good gracious! Kathe, don't put on that long face!" 
 the girl went on, excitedly. " Every one seems disagreeable 
 to-night Moriz is put out at the contents of a telegram he re- 
 ceived an hour ago, and grandma is as savage as she can be 
 because her rooms are somewhat empty this evening. Bah! 
 and I, I am so happy, so very happy ! Do you know., Kathe, 
 I was afraid, a couple of days ago, that Doctor Brack would 
 find me a corpse when he returned. No, no, I will not die, if 
 he is not there by me." 
 
 It was well that the false notes from the adjoining room 
 crashed louder and louder, and that the old gentlemen by the 
 stove raised their voices in warm dispute over some political 
 question, for Henriette had spoken in a sharp, clear tone that 
 caused Mme. Urach to raise her eyes and look reprovingly 
 across the tea-table. In an instant the girl recovered her usual 
 calmness, and added quietly to Kathe, as she shrugged her 
 shoulders and glanced round the room: " No one dies willingly 
 alone; and if the doctor is standing by, well! one always fan- 
 cies up to the last moment, I suppose, that one will recover. 
 Won't you drink this, Kathe?" 
 
 " I can't," was all the answer Kathe could utter. She knew 
 now quite well that Henriette would never go to Dresden, and 
 with nervous, trembling fingers she pulled a piece of embroid- 
 ery out of her pocket, and tried to make it appear to those 
 around that she meant to work. 
 
 " Nonsense!" exclaimed Henriette, impatiently. " Do you 
 imagine I am going to sit here and watch you drag your needle 
 in and out that bit of embroidery? Come, let us go to the 
 music-room! Margaret von Grise will destroy our nerves as 
 well as the instrument, unless we put an end to that noise;", 
 and she wound her thin arms round Kathe's waist, and drew, 
 her into the adjoining apartment. 
 
 The wide folding doors between this room and Flora's pri- 
 vate sanctum beyond were thrown open to-night, as was usually 
 the case on Mme. Urach's reception evenings. Flora was 
 standing idly by the table, her brother-in-law lounging in a 
 fauteuU, and Dr. Bruck turning over the leaves of a book, 
 when the two girls appeared on the threshold. The doctor 
 looked pale in spite of the subdued, soft light from the lamp, 
 which was not half so bright as the gas in the adjoining salons, 
 and his face was overshadowed by an earnest, grave expression 
 about the brow and mouth which betokened a spirit ill at ease,
 
 82 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 within; but in spite of his gravity he looked remarkably young 
 by the side of his handsome betrothed bride. 
 
 Seeing the lovers were not alone, Henriette walked uncon- 
 cernedly into the room, but Kathe stood hesitating on the 
 threshold. Flora's forbidding countenance awed her. She 
 noticed, by a glance at the lovely face before her, that her sis- 
 ter was not in a pleasant humor, and was about to return to 
 the music-room, when Flora said, without changing her posi- 
 tion at the table: " Come here, child!" then as her eye caught 
 sight of the gray silk dress, which Kathe had exchanged for 
 the usual heavy mourning she wore, she added: " Always that 
 stiff silk which makes you look like the paper figure of an 
 angel, and is enough to try the nerves of the strongest with its 
 constant rustling and crackling. For goodness' sake tell us 
 why you always wear such thick, heavy material, which must 
 be as fit for your simple domestic life in Dresden as " 
 
 " It's a weakness of mine," interrupted Kathe, with an un- 
 ruffled smile, " I dare say you will think it very childish, but 
 I love to hear silk rustling about me, it sounds so grand. Of 
 course I don't wear it in my busy or domestic hours in Dres- 
 den; you know that well, Flora." 
 
 " Only hear how proudly she emphasizes the word ' domes- 
 tic!' You little goose I should like to see you just once in 
 your linen apron giving out the stores. Ah, well! Every one 
 has his or her hobby! To be domestic is not mine," and she 
 looked slowly into the young doctor's face, who closed his 
 book, and laid it on the table. 
 
 " What nonsense, Flora!" cried Henriette, in her shrill, 
 mocking voice; "a few months ago you were often enough 
 over at the soup kitchen, as interested as any one in making 
 the soup, or pretending to be any way, the dainty linen apron 
 and your wonderful exertions became you perfectly ha! ha!" 
 
 Flora bit her lip. 
 
 " As usual, you are exaggerating; and this time you have 
 represented that fancy of mine as an earnest act, whereas it 
 was only a passing caprice," replied Flora, as she slowly began 
 pacing to and fro on the floor, fully aware that the white alpaca 
 folds of her dress showed off to advantage the supple grace of 
 her figure. 
 
 The counselor sprung up. 
 
 " Will it please you to come into the other room now?" he 
 asked. " There are very few people here to-night, and no 
 wonder there is a soiree at the duke's this evening," he add- 
 ed, as if to reassure himself. " But unless we make up our
 
 IN THE" COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 83 
 
 minds to a day or two's bad humor from grandmamma, wo 
 had better go and make ourselves agreeable. Come, Flora. " 
 
 " I have excused myself for half an hour, Moriz," she re- 
 plied, with impatience. " My article must be finished to- 
 night, and it would have been done already if Doctor Bruck 
 had not, unfortunately, detained me. 7 ' 
 
 " Is there so much hurry needed? Why, may I ask?" spoke 
 the doctor, drawing near the writing-table with his eyes brim 
 ful of fun. 
 
 " Why? Because I gave my word it should be done to- 
 night," she answered, sharply. " Ah, it amuses you, I see. I 
 suppose, as it is only a woman's work, you are wondering who 
 in all the world is waiting for such a trifle?" 
 
 " I general, I don't think so lightly of woman's work " 
 
 " In general?" she repeated, with a hard laugh. " Ah, 
 yes, to be sure, in general woman's work consists in cooking, 
 sewing, knitting " 
 
 " Why don't you allow me to finish, Flora?" he went on, 
 patiently. " I was referring to woman's moral influence as 
 well as to the work of her hands. I have not gone very much 
 into the question of women's rights, but I maintain that she is 
 capable of being a true helpmeet and assistant to man in all 
 his undertakings, be the undertakings of what nature they 
 may." 
 
 "Assistant? How condescending! My dear friend, we 
 women want more than that. We claim equality, and free- 
 dom to pursue whatever aim or purpose we may have in view." 
 
 .He smiled and shrugged his shoulders with a deprecating air 
 as he answered in a slightly sarcastic tone: 
 
 " That is the highest and wildest power modern advance- 
 ment can claim, but one which will be disputed by all those 
 who have no wish to see women placed in a false position. It 
 would be like putting a sharp knife into a small careless 
 hand." 
 
 Flora did not reply, but her face had become very white. 
 She pointedly took up a steel pen lying on the table, tried its 
 nib on her thumb-nail, and stuck it in a pen-holder; then she 
 drew toward her a small ebony case, and with a rash but trem- 
 bling hand opened it and drew forth a cigarette. Henriette 
 snatched her hand from Kathe's arm and stepped forward as 
 if to remonstrate with her willful elder sister. The counselor 
 walked hastily across the room, as the small tapering fingers 
 opened a small knife, and, with a defiant glance over her 
 shoulder at the doctor, Flora sniffed off the end bit, saying: 
 
 " The knife to be used for this purpose, eh? But there is
 
 84 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 one thing that our poor woman's brain shares in common with 
 you men, and that is, that we can think and work far better 
 than we smoke, " and she struck a match and lighted the 
 cigarette. 
 
 " You smoking, Flora? Why, I thought a cigar always made 
 you feel ill!" exclaimed Margaret Grise, entering just at this 
 moment and clapping her hands together. 
 
 "Flora is only doing it for fun," remarked Dr. Bruck, 
 quietly nearing the table where his betrothed was standing. 
 
 This first attempt will be enough for her, a second woidd be 
 injurious to her health." 
 
 " Will you dare forbid it, Leo?" asked Flora, in an icy tone, 
 but with flashing eyes, as for a moment she took the cigarette 
 from her lips and held it daintily between her fingers. 
 
 Without any haste, and in a gentle but firm manner, the 
 young man took the obnoxious weed from her hand and threw 
 it among the ashes of the stove. 
 
 " I have no right as yet to forbid it. I might beg you not 
 to do it, but I have no liking for useless requests. You know 
 very well I hate to see smoke issuing from a woman's lips. 
 In my capacity as physician I absolutely forbid you to smoke. 
 I have told you before your lungs are not too strong. " 
 
 At first Flora looked at her lover in speechless astonishment 
 at his boldness, but when he made reference to her lungs she 
 shuddered slightly, but quickly rallying, she said, with a mock- 
 ing laugh: 
 
 " That is a very far-fetched diagnosis. Besides, that horrid 
 old court physician, who has known me since my childhood, 
 has never hinted at such a thing. You try to frighten me as 
 if I were a baby. Bah! Life is not such a delightful thing to 
 me that I care to give up one pleasure to prolong it. On the 
 contrary, I mean to continue to smoke it is necessary for 
 me in my literary vocation, and this vocation is my only hap- 
 piness for it I live and breathe " 
 
 " Till you arrive at the inevitable turning-point to which 
 your vocation is leading, "broke in the doctor, in a severe tone. 
 
 An angry flush passed over her brow. She opened her lips 
 to make a bitter retort, but noticing Fraulein Grise's presence 
 in the room she wisely refrained. Having no desire that this 
 scandal-loving young lady with the sharp face and angular 
 shoulders should repeat at the court, where she was one of the 
 dames d'honneur, the disagreeable fact that the proud Flora 
 Mangold had stooped to quarrel with her lover, she forced her 
 lips to smile, and in her usual graceful manner, answered, 
 languidly:
 
 1ST THE COUNSELORS HOUSE. 81- 
 
 " What nonsense, Leo! You are prosy to-night. You hava 
 just returned from a pleasure-trip; did you amuse your " 
 
 She became suddenly silent, for the doctor had seized hei 
 left hand and held it in a vise. 
 
 " Will you have the kindness not to make fun of my voca- 
 tion, Flora?" he said, laying a stress on each word. 
 
 " I was speaking of pleasure," she answered, flippantly, 
 snatching her hand angrily away. 
 
 It was never an agreeable sight to Kathe when Mme. TJrach's 
 unsympathetic face appeared unexpectedly in her vicinity, but 
 just *now she felt a positive relief when she saw the old lady 
 suddenly enter the room. Her countenance bore traces of 
 vexation and annoyance, and her whole figure shook with sup- 
 pressed anger as she said: 
 
 " I shall be obliged to have my whist-table brought in here 
 if my guests are to be neglected in this way. Henriette, 
 what made you leave the tea-table so soon? I shall have to 
 place my maid there; she will not desert her post before her 
 duty is finished. And as to you, Flora, I am surprised to find 
 you at your writing-table when you know our friends are here. 
 And if your publisher hurries you so much that you are obliged 
 to work in the evening, then be good enough to close your 
 door unless you wish us to understand that the whole thing is 
 only done from ostentation and a love of appearing learned. " 
 
 The old lady must have been very irate indeed to speak 
 thus before one of the ladies of the court. 
 
 Flora opened her papers and arranged her pens. 
 ' You may think as you please, grandmamma!" she said, 
 coldly. " I can not help it if others come and disturb me; 
 but for the interruption I should have been making a sacrifice 
 of myself at the present moment, and be sitting at one of your 
 green tables." 
 
 Henriette slipped unnoticed past her grandmother, and 
 winking to Kathe to follow, whispered as they left the room: 
 
 " These scenes are killing me fast." 
 
 " Have patience! Flora will have to give way; he will force 
 her to obey him yet," replied Kathe, strongly excited. " But 
 I can't understand Mm. Were I in his place " she did not 
 finish, but drew herself up proudly as her eyes flashed scorn- 
 fully. 
 
 " But you don't understand the force of love, Kathe. I 
 can see by your cool looks and blooming face that you have not 
 yet tasted of the poisonous cup." Then after a moment's 
 pause to regain her breath, she went on slowly and thought- 
 fully.
 
 86 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " You have no idea how fascinating and charming Flora can 
 be if she chooses. You have only seen her since she has been 
 playing this detestably mean role. I can quite understand 
 that the man whom she once convinced she loved would die 
 sooner than give her up. " 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HENBIETTE went back to her place at the tea-urn, but 
 Kathe remained standing by the piano in the music-room 
 thinking over what she had just heard. Could it be possible 
 that a man would die rather than give up a girl who scorned 
 his love? And was Dr. Bruck a man likely to commit such a 
 folly? 
 
 She could not help noticing him closely as he passed through 
 the room with Mme. TJrach and stopped to exchange a few 
 words with a newly arrived guest. His manner was quiet and 
 courteous as usual, but Kathe had seen his eyes flash with 
 anger once or twice while he was talking to Flora, and even 
 now there was a disturbed, troubled look about his brow which 
 denoted a more restless spirit within than appeared outwardly. 
 
 Five minutes later Flora pushed back her stool with an im- 
 patient sigh, and stood on the threshold of the door between 
 the two rooms. 
 
 "Have you finished already?" asked Fraulein von Grise 
 running her fingers over the keys of the piano. 
 
 " How absurd to imagine any such thing! Do you fancy 
 ideas can be struck off at that rate? The fact is I am tired 
 and I never can work unless the spirit is on me I love it too 
 well." 
 
 Fraulein von Grise smiled a wicked smile as she remarked: 
 
 " I am getting very impatient to see what the critics say to 
 your work on ' Woman. ' You have told us so much about it 
 that I am dying to see it in print. Has the publisher accept- 
 ed it?" 
 
 Flora caught the wicked smile and replied: 
 
 " You would be highly delighted if it were a failure, wouldn't 
 Jrou, Margaret? Well, it won't be, as I know from my my 
 little finger." She smiled softly, shook her head and ad- 
 vanced toward the drawing-room with the mien and air of a 
 princess. 
 
 " What are you looking at that music for, Kathe? Can it 
 be possible you want us to hear you play also?" ehe asked, 
 standing still by her sister and glancing with a meaning ex' 
 pression toward the young lady at the piano. " Do you sing?
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 87 
 
 If so, you must inherit the gift from the Sommerses; none of 
 our family have any musical talent/' 
 
 Kathe shook her head. 
 
 " At all events, Kathe, you must play," said the counselor, 
 coming forward from a recess where he had been conversia^ 
 with a friend. " I know you do, from the hills for your les- 
 sons. Frightfully dear ones too, as I have often meant to tell 
 you. '' 
 
 The young girl laughed. 
 
 " They were the best, Moriz. In Dresden people are very 
 practical, and know that the best are the cheapest in the end." 
 
 " All right, my dear. But have you any taste for music?" 
 he asked, doubtfully. " Flora says truly the Mangolds are not 
 musical." 
 
 " I am fond of it," she answered, simply. 
 
 " But have you any talent for it?" 
 
 " I can compose a melody some times," she replied, blush- 
 ing. 
 
 Flora turned back suddenly to her sister 's side, saying 
 hastily: 
 
 " Compose melodies! What nonsense you talk, with your 
 rosy cheeks and fondness for housewifery. A polka, perhaps, 
 if you dance with spirit " 
 
 " I delight in dancing, Flora," broke in Kathe, with a 
 merry twinkle in her eyes. 
 
 " Ah! But you ought not to confound that kind of music 
 with higher works: it would require a profound study of 
 thorough bass. I don't suppose you have learned that?" she 
 added with a slight sneer. 
 
 " The last three years I have." 
 
 Flora clasped her hands together in despair. 
 
 " Your Lucas " so she always spoke of the lady who educat- 
 ed Kathe " your Lucas must be mad to waste money like 
 that." 
 
 No one spoke in answer to this remark, every word of which 
 must have been heard in the adjoining room where Dr. Bruck 
 sat silently by the side of Henriette, glancing now and again at 
 the group by the piano. 
 
 Henriette moved quickly from her seat, and hurrying into 
 the music-room, said, in her shrill, clear voice: 
 
 "You are fond of music, Kathe, and you have not once 
 touched the piano since you have been here?" 
 
 " The instrument stands close to Flora's room; how could I 
 have found courage to disturb her at her work?" replied the 
 young girl simply. " I have over and over again longed to
 
 88 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 play on this piano, it has such a glorious tone, and mine in 
 Dresden is not good for much. We bought it second-handed 
 five years ago. My dear old friend often spoke of asking you 
 to give me a new one, Moriz," she added, addressing her 
 guardian; " but I dissuaded her from making the request, I 
 was so afraid you might refuse. But since you showed me that 
 new iron safe to-day I have lost my shyness, and certainly 
 should like to have a piano like this one/' 
 
 " That one cost a thousand thalers a thousand thalers is a 
 great deal to give for a girl's passing fancy. I inuct think 
 over it first." 
 
 " Who plays on your instrument?" asked Kathe, with trem- 
 bling voice and glowing eyes. " Who ever touches it in pri- 
 vate life? It is only there for the use of your guests, Moriz. 
 Must money never be spent unless for show?" 
 
 The counselor drew near and took hold of her hand ; he hau 
 no idea the girl possessed so much energy and decision of 
 character. 
 
 " Don't excite yourself, child," he said, soothingly; " am I 
 such a very hard and grim guardian? Go and play to us 
 and let me hear if you really do care for music; prove this, 
 and you shall have a piano to your own taste." 
 
 " After that I don't care to play," she replied, quietly 
 drawing away her hand. " I could not perform to gain a 
 piano for how can I tell what you consider ' real love for 
 music.' However, 1 will fetch my notes and let you hear 
 me; I hate to be asked twice." 
 
 She turned to leave the room. 
 
 " Why fetch notes? Let us hear one of your own composi- 
 tions," remarked Flora, scornfully. 
 
 " Even that I can't do by heart," answered Kathe, closing 
 the door. 
 
 She soon returned with a music-case in her hand. While 
 she seated herself at the instrument, Flora opened the case, 
 and taking out a piece of music, cast her eyes over the title- 
 page and asked: 
 
 ;' Who is it by?" 
 
 " Didn't you wish to hear one of my own compositions?" 
 
 '* Yes, of course; but this piece is printed." 
 
 " Certainly, it is printed." 
 
 " Why, how did that happen?" exclaimed Flora, in undis- 
 guised astonishment. 
 
 " How does your work happen to be printed?" retorted 
 Kathe, laughing, looking up gayly in her sister's face. Then 
 seeing the cloud of displeasure that spread over Flora's counte-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 89 
 
 nance, she hastened to add, with a proud smile: " My master 
 had the ' Phantasie ' printed to give me a birthday pleasure. " 
 
 " Alia! of course that explains it," said Flora, laying the 
 piece down on the piano. 
 
 Henrietta went close behind her young sister, and leaning 
 over her shoulder when she had arranged the piece on the 
 stand before her, pointed to the title-page, and said, distinctly: 
 
 " Don't you be imposed on, Flora! Look here: there stands 
 the celebrated publisher's name, Schott & Son; they don't 
 publish music to give a girl a birthday pleasure. Kathe, tell 
 us the truth your things are sold and played by the public?" 
 
 Kut he nodded and blushed. 
 
 " But what I said just now is true. I had no idea my work 
 was being printed till I saw a copy of it on my birthday table, " 
 she said, and began to play. 
 
 It was a very simple melody which presently fell in soft 
 sweet tones on the ears of the whist-players, forcing them to 
 involuntarily lay down their cards and listen. Those in the 
 music-room gazed in wonder and astonishment at the girl sit- 
 ting so quietly on the stool at the instrument, that the jet 
 ornament on her bosom barely moved as she breathed. There 
 was no brilliant display of execution, no crashing and noise, 
 no jumbling together of notes; no one asked himself if the 
 style were correct, but as the exquisite melody went on, now 
 moving the heart to tears with its pathos and subdued sweet- 
 ness, anon stirring the pulse to excitement with the growing 
 wildness and grandeur of its own intensity, every one felt un- 
 consciously lifted as it were out of himself till in one long 
 wail of sweet-sounding chords the melody finally died away. 
 Then for several minutes a profound silence reigned in the 
 room, in fear that the retreating spirit of the melody might be 
 startled by a whisper. The first to recover her powers of 
 speech was Fraulein von Grise, who said, patronizingly : 
 
 " The princess ought to hear your charming ' Phantasie,' 
 fraulein; if you will lend it me, I will play it to her." 
 
 " And you shall have the best pianoforte that money can 
 buy, Kathe," said the counselor, her guardian, looking toward 
 his ward with an air of glowing satisfaction and delight visible 
 on his handsome countenance. 
 
 When the gentlemen had thanked her, and the elderly ladies 
 had expressed aloud their regret that " her dear father was not 
 alive to hear such beautiful music from his youngest born," 
 Henriette laid her pale sharp face caressingly against Kathe's 
 burning cheeks, and whispered, with the tears in her eyes: 
 
 " You dear darling, how proud I am of you!"
 
 90 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Flora was the only one who had not spoken; when first the 
 beautiful melody began, she had noiselessly returned to her 
 own room, and softly paced the floor till it was finished, every 
 now and then, when some tone of richer sweetness fell on her 
 ear, glancing through the door in startled wonder at the young 
 
 firl sitting at the piano. When Kathe rose from her seat, 
 lora disappeared into the shadow of the deep window recess. 
 
 " I fancy Flora is vexed that she is no longer the only 
 celebrity in the Mangold family; she has gone away to hide her 
 her mortification/' remarked Fraulein von Grise, in a loud 
 whisper half to herself, half to the counselor. 
 
 The counselor smiled; he always did smile if any one from 
 the court favored him with a confidential remark, but he did 
 not answer. Turning to Kathe he said in an injured tone: 
 
 " I am very angry with your ' dear Lucas/ as Flora calls 
 Madame Lucas, that she never gave me a hint of your wonder- 
 ful musical talents." 
 
 Kathe smiled, and answered after a moment: 
 
 " At home in Dresden no one thought of praising it to out- 
 siders. Why should they? Madame Lucas is a woman who 
 would never make a boast respecting her own pupil, and she 
 knows I have to learn a great deal more yet." 
 
 " But I look upon such reticence at Spartan-like in its 
 
 " Perhaps the most studied mode of securing a startling 
 scene that could possibly be devised/' broke in Flora from the 
 threshold of her door, adding, with a bitter ring in her musical 
 voice: "You can't impose on me, Kathe, and make me be- 
 lieve you have a poor opinion of your own gift, or that you are 
 not aware of its importance. I think it was very false and 
 mean of you to be here in the house for ten days and more 
 and pretend you did not know a note; it was not fair to me 
 to any of us. " 
 
 " Is that your opinion, Flora?'* cried Henriette, angrily. 
 " You say that because you yourself are always talking of what 
 you are doing always making a fuss about the hours you 
 spend in writing, and trying to make your friends believe in 
 the results which never come, and 
 
 " Henriette, I should like a cup of tea/' called out Mme. 
 Urach, to put an end, if possible, to the angry altercation. 
 
 Henriette instantly obeyed the behest. 
 
 " You are mistaken, Flora, if you think I am not glad that 
 I have talent for music," said Kathe, gently, trying not to fur- 
 ther irritate by her tone of voice her proud half-sister, who was 
 gazing at Henriette 's retreating figure with glaring eyes and 
 culling lip. " I am very glad, and it would be ungrateful of
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 91 
 
 me not to acknowledge it, it gives me so much pleasure. I 
 ought to have spoken about it directly I came, especially as the 
 reason I arrived a month sooner than you expected me was 
 simply because my harmony master was obliged to leave Dres- 
 den some weeks before the long holidays commenced; and as I 
 would like to be back when he returns home, I hurried off here 
 directly he had gone. " 
 
 At this moment Fraulein von Grise was obliged to quil thb 
 room to speak with her father, who had just arrived and asked 
 for his daughter. The counselor followed her, to pay his re- 
 spects to the old colonel. 
 
 When they were alone, Flora went over to the piano, took 
 up the piece of music Kathe had been playing, and examined 
 the title-page. Kathe noticed that her hand trembled, that 
 her bosom heaved, and that she seemed very nervous, as she 
 pointed to the colored page, and asked: 
 
 " I suppose you have been greatly complimented on this?" 
 
 " By whom?" returned Kathe. " My master is as reticent 
 with his praise as Madame Lucas, and no one else knows it is 
 by me. You see the composer's name is not there." 
 
 " I conclude the thing sells well?" 
 
 Kathe was silent. 
 
 " Speak out the truth. Has more than one edition ap- 
 peared?" 
 
 "Well yes." 
 
 Flora flung the piece on the piano. 
 
 " That renown and fame should come to a fat, apple-cheeked 
 girl in her teens, while others struggle and fight for it for 
 years often even die before they are known is hard!" she 
 said, bitterly, as she began again to pace the floor. " But 
 what does it matter in reality?" she said, suddenly standing 
 still, and her face brightening. ' ' The most brilliant rocket 
 leaves no trace in the air after its explosion a few bright 
 sparks, and it is finished and done with, while the hidden fire 
 in Vesuvius is growing hotter and hotter. The world knows 
 the fire is there, and when flames burst forth at last, then it is 
 that men's hearts tremble and shake. Very well, so it is. 
 Tiro of our family have stepped forth now into the arena of 
 publicity. We will wait and see, Kathe, which of us two will 
 succeed best." 
 
 " Certainly not I," exclaimed Kathe, merrily, pushing back 
 a, stray curl from her brow. " I have no wish or desire to 
 enter such an arena. Not that I am insensible to the delights 
 of success; 1 can imagine nothing more enjoyable than the 
 power of moving others' hearts at will by the sheer foree of
 
 92 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 one's own talents that I would not give up for all the world 
 but to live for and only fame? No, no; there is far too 
 much happiness to be gained without it in private life. What 
 would be the use of fame to me, if it left me alone?" 
 
 " Ha, ha! that's the secret of your homely bringing up, the 
 quintessence of your education! As your Lucas did, so will 
 you you intend to marry. " 
 
 Flora laughed a mocking, hollow laugh that added spite to 
 her remark. 
 
 Henriette blushed to the roots of her hair; even her throat 
 partook of the same crimson hue, as she replied, indignantly, 
 in a low voice : 
 
 ** You sneer at marriage as though you had never thought 
 of marrying yourself yet 
 
 Mora stretched out her hand to check the coming words. 
 
 " Not a syllable more, please/' she said, eutreatingly. 
 Then, as she laid her hand across her bosom and shook her 
 head, she went on: "Yes, my dear, I was foolish and blind 
 enough once to be caught in the net; but, thank God, my 
 head is not entangled in its meshes, and will be able to give me 
 back my freedom." 
 
 " Have you any conscience at all, Flora?" 
 
 " A very sensitive one, my dear, which reproaches me again 
 and again for allowing myself to be caught as I was. I sup- 
 pose you have read your Bible enough to know that we shall 
 each have to answer for the use we make of our talents. Look 
 at me, Kathe, and then say if you really believe I am likely to 
 pass my life as the wife of a simple doctor, poring over the 
 soup-kettle and knitting stockings from morning till night? 
 And for him too?" 
 
 She moved her head in the direction of the tea-room, where 
 Dr. Bruck sat all alone at the table, with a journal in his 
 hand, evidently so occupied with his own thoughts that he had 
 not even noticed Henriette'a departure from her post at the 
 tea-urn. Groups of ladies and gentlemen were scattered 
 through the handsomely furnished rooms, chatting and laugh- 
 ing to each other; only the young doctor sat apart and alone. 
 
 " Do you see, not one of the gentlemen take any notice of 
 him," said Flora, lowering her voice. " They avoid him, and 
 rightly too. He has deceived both me and the world. The 
 brilliant reputation he made was a mere sham!" 
 
 With which remark she retired to her own study, to avoid 
 meeting Colonel von Grise, who was coming toward the music- 
 room, accompanied by his daughter and the counselor. 
 
 After a formal introduction to Kathe, and a few compli-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOK'S HOUSE. 93 
 
 mentary speeches on her charming musical talent, the old gen- 
 tleman begged the young girl to favor him with a little more 
 music. 
 
 Simply and willingly Rathe obeyed his request immediately, 
 this time choosing one of Chopin's exquisite productions in 
 preference to anything of her own. 
 
 As she raised her eyes from her notes at its conclusion, she 
 was rather startled at the earnest, passionate expression of her 
 guardian's face as he gazed at her. Never before had she 
 noticed him looking at her like that. It was not the same 
 kind, affectionate look with which he had given her bonbons 
 as a child, or the bouquet he had brought with him from town 
 only yesterday. 
 
 When she rose from the piano, he took one of her hands in 
 his. and passed his arm around her waist. 
 
 " What has come over you, Kathe?" he whispered, with an 
 earnestness of tone she had never heard before when he ad- 
 dressed her. " You remind me strangely of Clotilde; but you 
 are more lovely and more gifted!" 
 
 She put her hand to her side to remove his arm; but he 
 seized that hand also, and held it in a vise as if he would never 
 willingly let it go again. 
 
 To the friends loitering around, it was a very simple action 
 that the guardian should thus caress his ward in token of his 
 delight at the display of her musical powers; but Kathe did 
 not like it, and passively submitted simply because the look 
 and action together had half frightened her. 
 
 Henriette's pale cheeks colored deeply; she smiled a con- 
 tented, peculiar smile, and did not answer as Dr. Bruck rose 
 silently, shook hands with her, and disappeared from the room, 
 while every one else was occupied with Kathe and her wonder- 
 ful playing. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SINCE the memorable evening of Kathe's debut as a pianist 
 a week had come and gone; " a week of terrible fatigue/' old 
 Mme. Urach remarked with a sigh as she rang for her maid 
 and began finding fault with a dress she was to wear in the 
 evening. The train was too short, the lace not wide enough, 
 the sleeves too full, etc. Several grand evening parties had
 
 94 IN THE COUNSELOR'S SOUSE. 
 
 been given by some of their friends high in office, and what 
 with afternoon coffee drinkings, one or two dinners, and an 
 entertainment at the palace, in which Flora was to recite some 
 verses of her own illustrative of a tableau vivant, " they had 
 hardly time to breathe/' 
 
 Henriette was too weak and too ill to join in the gayety, and 
 Kathe remained at home with her, refusing every entreaty to 
 go out, though often warmly invited and strongly urged by 
 Mme. TJrach to do so. 
 
 The two young girls drank tea together in the cozy music- 
 room, and Kathe exerted all her powers to try and amuse the 
 invalid and distract her thoughts from the festivities her soul 
 longed for. 
 
 " I love society, Kathe," she would say, plaintively, when 
 the carriage had rolled away with madame and Flora and the 
 two were left alone. " I feel wretched without it, and I think 
 it hard sometimes that I am ill aud misshapen. Grandmamma 
 lias thought me to like excitement and the pomp and show of 
 rank and wealth; it is hard, Kathe, very hard, that I am de- 
 barred from enjoying it just now, though I hate and despise 
 the humbug aud falseness of society more than I can tell 
 you. " Then her mood would change arid she would say eoax- 
 ingly: " Go and play for me, Kathe dear; your music makes 
 me feel happier, and I am a wretch to grumble at my hard 
 lot when you are so kind and good to me." 
 
 And Kathe would go to the piano, and play everything she 
 could think of to amuse aud interest her suffering invalid sis- 
 ter, and remove from her mind the depressing effects of the 
 contrast between her own weak state and plain appearance, 
 and Flora's brilliant beauty. 
 
 One morning, a few days after the counselor's departure for 
 Berlin on business, a superb bouquet of hot-house flowers ar- 
 rived for each of the sisters. When the lid of the box was 
 opened and the contents distributed according to the name 
 attached to each nosegay, old Mme. Urach frowned ominously. 
 For Henriette and Flora the counselor had chosen beautiful 
 camellias and sweet-smelling violets, but for Kathe a daintily 
 arranged mixture of orange-flowers and myrtle.* 
 
 At first the old lady gave no heed to the peculiar distinction 
 of flowers between Kathe 's bouquet and those of her sisters, 
 but when Flora, who was present when the box arrived, laugh- 
 ingly pointed out the significance of the gift to the youngest^ 
 
 * In Germany myrtle is significant of love and marriage.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 9rf 
 
 then It was that Mme. Urach frowned ominously and looked 
 very displeased. 
 
 " Keally, grandmamma, you surely can not imagine that 
 after the huge sums of money Moriz has spent to be ennobled 
 he would remain a widower, and let his name die out?" cried 
 Flora, with aggravating coolness. "He is comparatively 
 young, is handsome, rich and noble! Kathe won't refuse 
 him, that I know for certain." 
 
 In the meantime Kathe had carried off her bouquet, untied 
 the wire around the flowers, sprinkled them with fresh water, 
 and placed them on the work-table in her room, without being 
 in the least conscious of their significant import, and innocent 
 of any other sentiment about them but pure pleasure at the 
 kind thoughtf ulness of her absent guardian in sending to her, 
 and each of his sisters, so pretty a present. But old Mme. 
 Urach was very miserable. A phantom had arisen to haunt 
 the villa, whose presence she would have banished if she could, 
 but it seemed to follow her everywhere, to wander through the 
 costly furnished rooms, to creep into the shadows of the mass- 
 ive bronze ornaments, to glide over the rare porcelain cups and 
 vases, each of which had been bought with rolls of bank-notes, 
 and was the envy of all her friends; even to hover around the 
 back of her favorite seat in the winter garden and imbitter 
 the pleasure of all she cared for in life. What was to be done? 
 The old lady considered the question as if she were forty in- 
 stead of seventy and had half a life-time before her. The 
 counselor had no right to marry again; she would forbid it, 
 and he would have to obey. Did he not owe everything he 
 possessed to her? It was through her that he had risen in the 
 world, through her influence and by her connections that he 
 had obtained his present enviable position in society. Had 
 she not superintended the furnishing of the villa, and by her 
 exquisite taste so arranged everything that the place had been 
 converted into so well-appointed a residence that even th& 
 court circle visited there with pleasure? Besides, had it not 
 been a great sacrifice on her part when she consented to head 
 his establishment and give tone and refinement to his some- 
 what plebeian household? And now that she had succeeded 
 to her heart's content in all that she had undertaken to do, 
 was she to be ruthlessly displaced from the head of his house- 
 hold by a young second wife who would consider all these 
 magnificent apartments as belonging to her, perhaps even ap- 
 portion to " grandmamma " the use of one or two rooms as a 
 great favor? No, no, it should not be; not even Flora, the 
 haughty daughter of her only child, would she willingly seo
 
 96 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 placed in the position she herself had held so many years; hoi 
 much less then the granddaughter of the old miller, Flora's 
 step -sister! The girl should go back to Dresden as soon as 
 possible; that would be the first and wisest step to take to 
 avoid such a calamity befalling her, and then the old lady told 
 herself " all would be well again." 
 
 The next opportunity Mme. Urach had of a little conversa- 
 tion with Kathe she drew the girl on to speak of her home in 
 Dresden, expressed great admiration at her beautiful playing, 
 and lamented in strong terms the harm so many weeks' idle- 
 ness would do just now at her age. She even hinted that for 
 the sake of not losing time she herself would accompany 
 Kathe back to Dresden shortly, and arrange for extra lessons 
 from some celebrated foreign professor who had just arrived 
 in that town. 
 
 Kathe made no answer to this sudden show of interest in 
 her music from the old lady. She determined to remain on 
 at the villa till Dr. Brack had given his consent to Henriette 
 returning home with her. As yet he had said nothing, per- 
 haps because his patient seemed daily to grow more weak and 
 excitable. Every morning he called to see her at the same 
 hour. Each of the girls had a small sitting-room to herself 
 adjoining one the other, with a communicating door between, 
 and Kathe could hear him talking brightly to Henriette, 
 sometimes breaking forth into a hearty merry laugh that was 
 catching in its influence, and made the young girl long to go 
 in and join in the merriment. Dr. Brack in Henriette's 
 sitting-room was quite a different man to the grave, thoughtful 
 personage he appeared to be in the drawing-room in the even- 
 ing. 
 
 It pleased and delighted Kathe always to hear him laugh, 
 but she rarely spoke to him herself, never joined in the con- 
 versation through her open door, though she could see him 
 walking up and down the room as she sat at her table, working 
 or reading. She had remarked more than once that Henriette 
 always retired to her own sitting-room as the hour drew near 
 for the daily medical visit, and that it seemed to vex and 
 irritate her if she were followed. 
 
 The person Kathe chiefly conversed with at this time was 
 Dr. Brack's aunt, the curate's widow, whom she constantly 
 met in Susanne's room when she went to pay the old house- 
 keeper her evening visit. From her Kathe learned that she 
 had taken charge of her sister's orphan boy from the time he 
 was eight years old ; and that ever since he had been as dear to 
 ker as a child, and the sun and joy of her life.
 
 EST THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSD. 9? 
 
 Kathe made it a rule always to accompany the old lady to 
 her home guiding har steps carefully along the river-side, till 
 they reached the rustic bridge, where the light burning in the 
 old-fashioned porch shone broad and clear, and made the few 
 yards to the house, however dark it was around, clear and safe 
 for the most timid walker. Kathe used to wait and watch the 
 widow go up the path and enter the porch, and sometimes she 
 would linger on the bridge till she heard the doctor's manly 
 voice call out from his room, as he sprung forward to meet 
 her: " Is that you, aunt?" Then she would speed away out 
 of the lamp-light, and rush along the avenue so quickly that 
 she would have to stop and grow cool and regain her breath 
 before entering the villa, with the unconcerned manner and 
 bearing befitting her appearance after a visit to old Susanne at 
 the Mill-house. 
 
 The counselor had been gone a week or ten days, when the 
 news came that he had sold his factory. It had been com- 
 municated by letter to Mme. Urach, who was so overpowered 
 with joy that she put aside her dignity and went straight to 
 Henriette's room in her dressing-gown, where she knew the 
 three girls would most likely by together. Sitting down in 
 the nearest arm-chair, she said: 
 
 " Thank God, my dears, Moriz has got rid of that factory! 
 and on such brilliant terms, too, that he says he is quite aston- 
 ished at his own good fortune;" and she laid her still beautiful 
 hand on the table and looked around with a very contented 
 smile hovering over her lips. " He has by this means put an 
 end to his business affairs, and of course can now turn his 
 back on those horrid men he was obliged to associate with in 
 business. Good gracious! when I think of the people we have 
 had to dinner sometimes it would have been more becoming if 
 they had dined in the kitchen. Ah, my dears, what agony I 
 have gone through with them! but it is all over now, all 
 over, and I am very thankful. " 
 
 Kathe was standing at the window from whence the factory 
 could be seen, with its huge yard and overlapping chimney. 
 
 " Look here, madame!" the girl suddenly exclaimed; " the 
 yard is full of men and women, and even children what can 
 they mean?" and she pointed to the distant factory, in front 
 of which numbers of men and women were assembled, talking 
 and gesticulating in the wildest manner. 
 
 " They have heard the news, that is what it is." replied the 
 
 old lady, smiling and drawing toward the window. " The 
 
 coachman informed me when he came up just now that there 
 
 ie great excitement down there the hands are furious, 
 
 4
 
 98 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 the establishment has been bought by a company of Jews: 
 the workmen will reap now what they have sown. Moriz 
 closed with this offer very suddenly, though he had an affec- 
 tion for the factory that I never could understand; still, as he 
 has lately had bothers with the men, he has consented to 
 throw it up entirely, and quite right, too." 
 
 " I don't agree with you, grandmamma; it will look as if 
 he feared for his own power over the men," remarked Flora, 
 <vith curling lip; "if I had been he I would not have sold the 
 place just now for millions. The fellows should have been 
 made to understand that their grumblings and demands were 
 useless. My blood boils as I think that it will now be said 
 that those threatening letters to me were the cause of this 
 sale." 
 
 " Don't distress yourself, Flora! No one will impute the 
 sale to your influence they all know the courage, the soldier's 
 courage and confidence you possess; one can see it flashing in 
 your face a hundred yards off!" said Henriette, mockingly. 
 
 Flora took no notice of this malicious remark; sho rarely 
 allowed herself to be annoyed with anything Henriette said 
 lately. She smiled now as she repressed a yawn, and moved 
 toward the door. Mme. Urach also rose to dress for the early 
 dinner, but turned when she reached the threshold of the door, 
 to say: " Doctor Bruck thinks a little fresh air will do you 
 good to-day, Kathe he says you must go out. " 
 
 " Yes, I know, and I am going as far as the forest, to smell 
 the fresh resin from the fir-trees I long to breathe the pure 
 forest air. " 
 
 " Then I will invite myself to go with you," said Flora. 
 " I also want air air, to enable me to bear the burden of ad- 
 verse circumstances." 
 
 She offered her arm to her grandmother with a queenly air 
 to help her upstairs, and both ladies left the room. 
 
 Henriette stamped her foot with rage as the door closed, 
 and refrained from a fit of tears with the greatest difficulty at 
 being thus forced into having her beautiful sister as a walking 
 companion. 
 
 " I don't want her," she muttered to Kathe; " she will 
 deck herself out and look lovelier than ever and will spoil our 
 walk and and I wish she wouldn't come." 
 
 " Never mind; we will try and enjoy it all the same, dar- 
 ling, ' ' was Kathe's soothing reply. 
 
 ft was a lovely April day. The sun was shining clear and 
 aright in the blue cloudless heavens; the air was soft and 
 w&rm and sweet with the perfume of wild violets along the
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 99 
 
 road leading to the forest, and in the forest itself the sun 
 gleamed so joyously through every branch and twig, and 
 streamed in such broad glittering rays from between the 
 knotty trunks on the greensward under the trees that it almost 
 seemed as if some giant hand had lifted the dark canopy from 
 overhead and left the usually somber paths and walks exposed 
 to the beautiful shining sunlight. Thousands of tiny pale 
 green shoots were sprouting out from the twigs and branches 
 of the weather-beaten trees, and underneath in damp mossy 
 nooks^the lovely little blue-bell raised its delicate head. 
 
 Kathe loved the little flower, and while Flora and Henriette 
 sauntered on toward the fir valley she lingered behind to pluck 
 & handful of the blossoms. 
 
 Usually the forest was still and desolate, and one might 
 wander for hours under its shade without meeting a soul or 
 encountering a living thing. But this happened to be one of 
 the days when the poor of the neighborhood were allowed to 
 congregate together for the purpose of gathering as much of 
 the dried and decayed wood as they could carry to their homes. 
 
 As Kathe hunted about for her favorite flower she heard 
 voices in the distance, and she had only just remembered the 
 fact that this was the " poor people's day," as it was called, 
 when raising her head she saw close before her a woman in the 
 act of breaking off a fine strong branch from one of the trees. 
 Was it because she was caught with a green branch in her 
 hand, or because the sudden appearance of the young girl 
 startled her in her dishonest act that she cast a lowering, 
 angry glance on Kathe, and muttered some imprecation as she 
 pushed back the linen kerchief from her untidy head? 
 
 The look surprised but did not frighten Kathe. She stooped 
 again to gather a group of anemones at her feet, when a weak 
 but shrill cry for help fell on her ear, succeeded by an indis- 
 tinct tumult of many voices. 
 
 The woman listened for a moment, then flung down the 
 branch and darted through the brushwood toward the place 
 from whence the noise came. Again Kathe heard the shrill 
 trembling cry, and recognized Henriette's voice. Quick as an 
 arrow she rushed after the woman, tearing her dress as she 
 made her way through the brushwood, and getting many a 
 knock from the on-bounding branches the woman's powerful 
 arms struck aside, but she readied the spot at last. 
 
 The first thing she saw as she emerged from the thicket was 
 a group of women and ragged boys standing under a pine- 
 tree, talking and gesticulating in the wildest manner. The 
 glance showed, her Flora's white felt hat with its droop-
 
 100 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 ing blue feather, forming a striking center to the dirty ker- 
 chiefs and straggling hair of the women around her. 
 
 " Let the dwarf alone, Friz!" screamed one of the women. 
 
 " But she is screaming like mad/' replied a boy's voice. 
 
 " Let her yell none can hear her/' insisted the woman, 
 vho had a repulsive face with small luring eyes and a tall 
 gaunt frame. 
 
 Then Flora spoke, but Kathe could not hear what she said. 
 
 An insolent derisive laugh answered her. 
 
 " Get out o' your way!" shouted the big woman. " D'ye 
 think we'll do it, may be? This place is free for all to come 
 and go in. The poorest beggar as well as such as you, f rau- 
 lein, and I'll see who'll dare keep me away. Look here, good 
 people, we only see her face when she be sitting in her carriage 
 with the horses a-tearing along, and we be glad to clear out of 
 her way. A beautiful woman you be, fraulein even yer 
 enemie '11 say that and all's real, too, no paint nor nothing; 
 yer skin'3 like velvet I shouldn't mind biting it " and she 
 stooped her head, and pushed her face under the white hat. 
 
 The woman whom Kathe had followed pushed her way into 
 the midst of the crowd, and pointing to the young girl behind 
 called out, in a coarse tone : 
 
 " There be another!" 
 
 All turned to look at Kathe, thus giving the latter an op- 
 portunity of seeing Flora leaning against a tree, her cheeks 
 and lips white as snow, and her whole figure trembling. 
 
 " She be nothing to us," cried a boy, and turned his back 
 on the young girl; th<* women followed his example, closing in 
 again round Flora. 
 
 "Kathe!" called Henriette from behind this crowd of 
 women, but a rough hand was placed across her mouth to 
 prevent her speaking. In a moment two or three of the boys 
 were pushed half over, and before the women had time to re- 
 eist the force of her strong young arms, Kathe had elbowed 
 her way to her sister's side. 
 
 " What do you all want?" she asked, in a loud firm voice, 
 facing the dirty women boldly. 
 
 For a moment the angry women were awed and startled 
 but only for a moment the next they saw it was only a 
 young, bright-looking girl, and a loud laugh greeted her ques- 
 tion. 
 
 "Just hear how short and sharp she asks, as if she were 
 the judge hisself," screamed the giantess. 
 
 " And looks as proud as if she had descended from the three 
 Holy Kings," broke in the woman whom Kathe had first
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 101 
 
 seen. " Why, your own grandmother came out of my village, 
 and never had shoe or stocking to her feet when a little un 
 and your grandpa, too, used to carry hods o' mortar for old " 
 
 " Do you think I don't know it, or that I am ashamed of 
 it?" interrupted Kathe, quietly and calmly, though her earnest 
 face was pale and her lips trembled. 
 
 " No one ought better. Has his money done you any good 
 all his heaps o' money?" cried another of the women, pusUng 
 herself close to Kathe. Seizing her silk dress, and rubbing it 
 between her dirty fingers, she went on: " Ah, a lovely dress, 
 a dress for town on Suadays, and you a-wearing it in the 
 middle of the week in the forest, to be torn by the branches. 
 All very well for you the money's there in plenty baskets 
 full of it was found when the old un died. But how did he 
 get it? You'd better not ask, fraulein. How should it mat- 
 ter to you that your grandpa bought up all the corn away 
 from the poor and stored it up in his granaries, and then he 
 said that the price of grain must go up, up, far too high for 
 us, before he would sell one bit, though the people were 
 starving " 
 
 11 It's false!" broke in Kathe; " quite false." 
 
 " Ha! false, is it? Is it false, too, that we are being thrown 
 into the clutches of those who will grudge us our last potato? 
 Trouble will come o' this, I can tell ye. My girl says she will 
 drown herself sooner nor work for usurers. " 
 
 " And my brother says he will shoot them over the hemp 
 first time they appear," shouted out a small, ill-grown lad. 
 
 " Ay, ay, as he did the pigeons belonging to the pale little 
 dwarf there," remarked another, pointing to Henriette, who 
 was clinging to Kathe, exhausted with fright and fatigue. 
 
 The loud barking of a dog close by silenced the shouts for a 
 while. Flora sprung up from her crouching position on the 
 ground, the haughty expression usual to her returning to her 
 face. 
 
 " "What have I to do with the sale of the factory?" she 
 asked, contemptuously. " Settle that with your late master 
 the counselor he will know how to answer your insolence; 
 and now out of my way! Your shameful behavior will be 
 punished severely of that you may be sure." 
 
 She stretched out! her hand to wave the women off, but the 
 tall gaunt woman seized it, and heartily shook the lily-white 
 hand as if it had been held forth in sign of friendship, while 
 an evil smile flitted round her ugly mouth. 
 
 " Ha! ha! fraulein," she exclaimed, with a coarse chuckle; 
 ''' we've got back our courage and proud manner because a
 
 102 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 dog barked over there!" she pointed over her shoulder, 
 " That's old Sonneman's terrier; I know his voice well 
 enough. The old man is stone deaf, and his dog won't leave 
 him. They're a-going to the village up yonder, as they do 
 every day. Be quiet; they won't come this way. So it doesn't 
 matter to you, a beautiful young woman, that the factory is 
 sold, eh? Who would think it or believe it? One has only to 
 look at you to see the whole thing. You and the old mad amp 
 rule and command and make the counselor obey you both, 
 and now he is rich enough, you think the poor people who 
 have earned him his money are to be chucked over just like 
 chaff from wheat. No, no; we can't alter it, of course, but 
 we'll be revenged on you, my beauty;" and as the woman 
 stooped her tall frame to peer into Flora's face her eyes glit- 
 tered with the cruelty of a cat's. 
 
 Flora covered her face with her hands. 
 
 " Good God! they mean to murder us!" she murmured be- 
 tween her trembling lips. 
 
 The women who heard her laughed out loud. 
 
 " No such thing, fraulein!" said the tall one; " we are not 
 so stupid; we should gain nothing by it but that," and she 
 made an expressive gesture round her brawny throat. " You 
 shall only have a small punishment. " 
 
 Uncovering her face and nervously dragging at her pocket, 
 Flora drew forth her purse, opened it, and cast the contents, 
 silver and gold, on the ground. The women did not move, 
 but one or two of the nearest boys sprung forward to pick up 
 the shining pieces. 
 
 " Let it alone!" exclaimed the big woman, planting her 
 tall person over the scattered money. " There is time for 
 that later on later on, fraulein," and she turned with grim 
 politeness to Flora. " First your punishment. " 
 
 " Touch us if you dare!" said Kathe, standing her ground 
 firmly, though both sisters were trying to shelter themselves 
 behind her. 
 
 "You? what do you meddle for? and why shouldn't I 
 dare? I shall only get a week or two; they don't give more 
 for a box on the ears or a few scratches on the face and those 
 you shall have, fraulein, as sure as I'm alive," she added, ad- 
 dressing Flora. " I'll so spoil that lovely skin o' yourn that 
 you'll never forget me; you'll get a face as nicely marked as a 
 tiger in a menagerie." 
 
 Quick as lightning she raised her hand to scratch Flora's 
 face with her dirty nails; but quick as she was Kathe frus- 
 trated her intention by pushing: her away with such force that
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 103 
 
 the lost her balance and stumbled up against two or three of 
 the others standing by. 
 
 " Help! help!" screamed Henriette, with excited strength, 
 while Flora flung herself down by the tree, and hid her face 
 among its gnarled roots. 
 
 "Help!" shouted Henriette again, with all her remaining 
 force, as the women seized hold of Kathe, tore off the cape 
 from her shoulders, and trod her hat under foot. 
 
 One of them had just grasped a long plait of hair which 
 hung down her back, when the lad who had again covered 
 Henriette's mouth with his hand, suddenly drew it away, ex- 
 claiming: 
 
 " Look! look at her! What's the matter?" and, dashing 
 through the crowd, escaped into the forest. 
 
 Blood was streaming from the poor girFs mouth. That 
 last effort at calling for help had been too much for her; she 
 had ruptured a blood-vessel with the cry. 
 
 For two or three seconds the crowd of angry, infuriated 
 women stared, horrified at the sight of the suffering girl, 
 whose pale face, with the life-blood oozing from her lips, 
 looked deathly in its ashen hue; then, with one accord, they 
 silently retreated into the shadow of the dense forest, and left 
 the three girls alone. 
 
 Putting her arms round the fainting girl, Kathe gently let 
 herself glide to the ground, and supported the helpless head on 
 her bosom. In this position the blood ceased to now. 
 
 " Fetch help fast as you can!" sobbed Kathe. " She will 
 die! Oh, be quick! be quick!" 
 
 " Are you mad?" said Flora, in a smothered tone, with her 
 hands clasped across her breast, and gazing, terror-struck, at 
 the pair at her feet. ' ' Would you have me throw myself into 
 the hands of those wretches? They are still there," and she 
 shuddered as she glanced uneasily toward the thicket, from 
 which one or two boys' heads appeared, looking eagerly at the 
 gold lying on the ground. " I will not stir from this place 
 alone. We must try and get Henriette away ourselves." 
 
 Kathe did not answer. She saw it was useless to battle 
 against such heartless selfishness; so, pointing to Flora to help 
 her move the fainting girl, she struggled to her feet, and suc- 
 ceeded in lifting the small, slight form in her arms, rested the 
 head on her shoulder, and carried her slowly out of the forest. 
 Fearful of giving her the slightest shake that might cause a 
 return of the distressing hemorrhage, Kathe carefully wended 
 her way over the smoothest path, standing still every now and 
 again to watch if the movement was painful for her burden.
 
 104 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Oh, don't stop! don't stop till we are within call for aid- 
 till we are out of the reach of those murderous wretches, un- 
 less you wish me to die of fright!" entreated Flora, as she 
 walked along by Kathe's side with her usual proud bearing 
 but stealthily watching every bush and tree, so as to take 
 flight at the first approach of one of the " wretches." 
 
 " What has become of her boasted courage, of the ' soldier's 
 courage and self-confidence ' Henriette was taunting her with 
 this morning?" thought Kathe, her arms aching under the 
 weight of the burden she carried. " It's all very well to write 
 about woman's strength of intellect being equal to man's; she 
 should show, by womanly acts and self-forgetf ulness, that she 
 is capable of something better than " 
 
 The thought was not finished, for a slight movement of 
 Henriette's attracted her attention and made her hasten her 
 steps to reach home. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AT last they stood outside the forest, hi the open sunny 
 field. The danger of pursuit was over, the town was visible 
 before them, peasants were working on the meadows within 
 the sound of a call for help, and the road leading to the park 
 and villa was close at hand. 
 
 But Kathe's eyes were riveted on a spot which Flora did not 
 notice the low, sloping roof, with its high chimney-pots and 
 gilded weather-cock, visible through the apple-orchard belong- 
 ing to the house on the forest-side. She saw the garden gate 
 leading up to the hall door was wide open. It was much 
 nearer than the park gate, and thither Kathe wended her 
 steps, after a short rest under a wide-spreading oak-tree. 
 
 " Where are you going?" demanded Flora, who was hasten- 
 ing toward the villa. 
 
 " To Doctor Bruck's house," was the quiet reply. " It it 
 nearer than the villa. I shall be able to lay Henriette on a 
 bed, and most likely the doctor himself is at home to attend 
 to her." 
 
 Flora knit her brows and looked angry; but whether or not 
 she feared the revengeful woman's reappearance, or shrunk 
 from walking through the park up to the house alone, with 
 her bare head and disordered toilet, she made no resistance, 
 but silently turned and followed her half-sister. 
 
 The field was passed in silence. The sun shone hot and 
 scorching on Kathe's burning temples. Her strength was be- 
 to fail; the way was rough, and the fainting girl in
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 105 
 
 her arms seemed to grow heavier and heavier. She looked 
 longingly toward the house, and gathered up all her remaining 
 force to accomplish the fifty yards or so that still had to be 
 traversed ere reaching a place of rest. She looked again, and 
 saw a man in his shirt-sleeves making a small arhor under the 
 shadow of one of the trees; the widow, standing near him, a 
 white cap on her head, a broad linen apron half covering her 
 black dress, in her hand a plate of black bread and butter, 
 :hat was evidently intended for the workman's four o'clock 
 meal." She did not turn her head toward the road, or she 
 would have seen Kathe struggling to reach the orchard with 
 Henriette's lifeless form in her arms. 
 
 But ere Kathe had time to attract her attention the doctor 
 appeared at the corner of the house. 
 
 Bruck!" rang out Flora's clear, musical voice. 
 
 He stood still and stared for a second at the advancing 
 group, as if he could not believe the evidence of his eyes; the 
 next he bounded forward, and, with a few long strides, was 
 close upon them. 
 
 " What has happened?" he said, breathlessly. 
 
 " I have been mobbed by angry women," replied Flora, 
 with a bitter smile, but with her usual cold, indifferent man- 
 ner. " The vagabonds were in earnest when they threatened 
 me I was in great danger from their violence, and the poor 
 child there," pointing to Henriette, " raptured a blood-vessel 
 from fright and excitement." 
 
 He merely glanced at her to see if she was unhurt then 
 stretched out his arms, and tenderly lifted the burden from 
 Kathe's shoulder. 
 
 " You have exerted yourself beyond your strength," he said, 
 gently, as he looked into the girl's heated face; she was trem- 
 bling from head to foot, and biting her lip to keep back the 
 tears as she clung to the doctor's arm to prevent herself from 
 falling to the ground, while Flora stood looking fresh and 
 cool, with only a slight color tinging her delicate cheeks. 
 
 ' You ought not to have allowed her to carry Henriette all 
 alone," the doctor remarked to his betrothed as he hastened 
 back to the house with Henriette in his arms. 
 
 " You don't surely expect me to carry her? Besides you 
 have no right to find fault," answered Flora, sharply; " I 
 know my duty, I hope, and I should have helped to carry the 
 poor child, only I knew that it would have been utter mad- 
 ness. I am not strong, and it could not hurt Kathe's extra 
 robust peasant-like strength to do it."
 
 106 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 He did not reply, but called to his aunt to run in-doors and 
 prepare a bed immediately for the lifeless girl in his arms. 
 
 The widow gave a quick shocked glance at the advancing 
 figures, and without a word obeyed her nephew's behest so 
 quickly that by the time he stepped into the hall she had 
 spread a clean sweet-smelling sheet on the bed in the spare 
 room, and silently motioned to him to lay the girl down. 
 
 The apartment was large and pleasantly lighted by two im- 
 mense windows the uncarpeted floor was as white and shining 
 as scrubbing and bee's-wax could make it, but the paper on the 
 walls was faded and dim, and in the corner opposite the door 
 stood an old-fashioned stove of black Dutch tiles. On one 
 side was an antiquated folding-screen covered with queer 
 Chinese figures, on the other was a small round table of dark 
 wood matching the frames of two or three amateur drawings 
 which hung on the faded walls. The only article of luxury in 
 the room was the bright, rosy chintz curtain hanging at each 
 window, but a sweet fresh perfume of lavender pervaded the 
 whole air. 
 
 Across the doctor's brow lay an anxious look as he bent over 
 his patient, and with a skillful gentle hand bathed her chin 
 and throat to clear away the ghastly effects of the hemorrhage. 
 At last she opened her eyes and recognized him, but she was 
 too weak to speak or move. 
 
 A messenger had been sent to the villa to acquaint old Mme. 
 Urach with the misfortune that had befallen her grand- 
 daughter, and till she arrived not a word was spoken in the 
 sick-room. Flora stood motionless at the window, Kathe sat 
 in a corner by the bedside, and the widow glided noiselessly 
 about, waiting on her nephew, and bringing him the things he 
 needed to restore Henriette to consciousness. 
 
 The old lady appeared much distressed when she entered 
 the room, especially when she saw Heuriette's deathly pale 
 face and closed eyelids. 
 
 " For God's sake tell me how it all happened?" she asked, 
 her voice sounding excited and shrill, breaking in upon the 
 silence of the last half hour. 
 
 Henriette shivered and moaned, but did not open her eyes. 
 
 Flora was the only one who attempted to explain to her 
 grandmother what had happened. According to her she had 
 been attacked by a crowd of furies, each one more anxious 
 than the others to do her some personal harm, and Kathe 
 could scarcely restrain from a smile, as she went on to describe 
 how, for a time, she had kept them at bay by her own courage 
 and presence of mind, till the accident happened which fright-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOK'S HOUSE. 107 
 
 ened them away, and left her and Kathe free to leave the 
 forest. 
 
 Mme. TJrach walked up and down the room during this 
 recital, not heeding in her agitation the torture she was in- 
 flicting on the poor invalid's nerves by the monotonous rust- 
 ling of her silk skirts on the deal boards. 
 
 " What does our philanthropist say to this?" she asked, 
 sharply, suddenly standing still and eying the doctor with 
 anything but a friendly look. 
 
 He did not answer; he was holding Henriette's hand in his, 
 and apparently intent on counting the feeble pulse under his 
 fingers; but a sorrowful smile passed over his handsome young 
 face, and a pitying look crept into his eyes, which no one 
 noticed but Kathe. 
 
 Presently the old lady moved up to the bedside, and stoop- 
 ing her head as she gazed at the pale shrunken face lying on 
 the pillow, said, pointedly: 
 
 " She looks very ill, Herr Doctor. What do you say to 
 sending at once for my old friend and physician, Doctor von 
 Bar, and having a consultation with him? You surely won't 
 object?" 
 
 " Of course not, madame," releasing the patient's hand. 
 " It is only my duty to do anything that will ease your anx- 
 iety;" and he left the room to send a message to the great 
 physician's residence in town. 
 
 He had no sooner closed the door than Mme. TJrach ex- 
 claimed, in a subdied voice : 
 
 " A nice mess you have put me in, by bringing Henrietta 
 here. Whatever made you do it?" 
 
 " It was Kathe's fault, not mine that you might guess, 
 grandmamma," replied Flora, bitterly. " You ought to re- 
 proach her and not me for obliging us to remain in this hole, 
 for who knows how long perhaps for weeks,' ' and her eyes 
 Hashed angrily across at Kathe. 
 
 " How thoughtless to lay the poor child in that direction. 
 Each time she opens her eyes she must look at that hideous 
 black stone! And those daubs on the walls, too, how fear- 
 ful!" Then, turning toward the bed again, she added: " The 
 bed itself seems not so bad; at all events the sheets are fine and 
 white, but I must send over a silk eider-down cover for her 
 instead of that cotton thing, also a good easy-chair for my old 
 friend when he comes, and a^bove all another basin this one 
 is odious," she went on, removing it from the wash-stand with 
 a clatter that made the invalid moan again. " How can people 
 live with such coarse tilings about them? I don't believe they
 
 108 us THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 even notice them! What is it, my angel do you want any- 
 thing?" 
 
 Henriette half raised her head, glanced sharply at her 
 grandmother for a moment, then closed her eyes again, and 
 with the first sign of returning strength pushed aside the hand 
 that lay on hers. 
 
 " As willful as ever!" sighed her grandmother, and sunk on 
 to a chair by the bedside. 
 
 They had not long to wait for the court physician. When 
 the message reached him, begging him to come at once to the 
 house by the river, he could hardly believe his ears when the 
 man added that " Madame Urach " was there. Curiosity and 
 surprise hastened his departure, and in a very short while his 
 elegant carriage conveyed him to the rustic bridge in front of 
 the old house. He was a handsome old gentleman, neat and 
 spruce from head to foot, and with pleasing cordial manners. 
 He was the favorite physician of the reigning duke, had been 
 rewarded for his services with the high-sounding title of 
 " Medicinalrath " and the right to add to his name the cov- 
 eted noble prefix of von, besides having received many decora- 
 tions and several costly snuff-boxes mounted with precious 
 stones. 
 
 "A pity, a very great pity this has happened," he said, ap- 
 proaching the bed on which Henriette was lying. After re- 
 garding her pale face with an anxious look for a moment or 
 two he began sounding her chest lightly and carefully as he 
 did it the girl moaned with pain more than once. Dr. Bruck 
 stood by, silently watching the great man's proceedings, 
 wondering why he should torture the poor girl with sounding 
 her lungs, when in her present state such an act was not 
 necessary. When she moaned a second time the young man 
 frowned and said, decisively, to put an end to the examination : 
 
 " Shall I tell you the result of my observations, Herr von 
 Bar?" 
 
 The older man understood the purport of the question, and 
 a bitter rancorous glance flashed from his eyes ere he replied: 
 
 "Certainly, when I have finished my investigation ;" and 
 he continued sounding and tapping for some moments longer. 
 
 Then he rose, moved away from the bed, and with a stiff 
 inclination of his head remarked: 
 
 " Now, sir, I am at your disposition." 
 
 Not many minutes after the two doctors had quitted the 
 room to consult in private over the case Henriette opened her 
 eyes and began inquiring with a flushed face for her " own 
 doctor," Dr. Bruck.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 109 
 
 " Where is he? I want him. Tell him to come. " 
 
 Her excited manner startled Mme. Urach, who immediately 
 rose to fulfill her request, muttering to herself the while s 
 protest against such a " peculiar, very peculiar caprice.'" 
 
 Short as their absence had been, the consultation between 
 the doctors was evidently over, for as the old lady entered the 
 sitting-room the court physician was about to write a prescrip- 
 tion. Dr. Bruck returned to the sick-chamber, and Mme. 
 Urach was left alone with her old friend. 
 
 To her question of what he thought of the " dear's girl's " 
 case, he gave a short, pointed reply, intimated in plain 
 language that the case had been mishandled from the begin- 
 ning, and growled out something about its being too late to 
 send for him when hope was over, and reproached the old lady 
 for yielding to Henrietta's whim in the choice of her medical 
 attendant, instead of obliging her to submit to be treated by 
 the one who had known and studied her constitution from a 
 child. 
 
 " However, the first thing to be done now is to have the 
 poor child removed as soon as possible to her own comfortable 
 and well-furnished room," he added, more pleasantly. " She 
 will feel better there; besides, I shall then be sure that my 
 orders will be carried out, whereas they will not be so here, I 
 know very well/' 
 
 He touched the nib of his pen with his thumb-nail, and was 
 dipping it in the ink, when his eye fell on an open velvet case 
 lying near some books on the table, which apparently were 
 only just unpacked. 
 
 Never had Mme. Urach seen the face of her " old friend " 
 look so utterly blank with dismay and astonishment as it did 
 now when the pen fell out of his hand, and he exclaimed: 
 
 " Good heavens, here is the Grand Cross of Darmstadt!" 
 
 He touched it with the tip of his finger. 
 
 " How could it have got here, I wonder, in such an out-of- 
 the-way place as this poor house? : * 
 
 "Astonishing!" observed Mme. Urach, while a flush of 
 annoyance and surprise passed over her face as she bent for- 
 ward to examine the case with her eyeglass in her hand. " I 
 don't know the decoration myself, or its meaning." 
 
 " I dare say not, madanie; it is so very rarely bestowed on 
 any one, " interrupted the court physician. 
 
 " Otherwise I might imagine the decoration was conferred 
 on him during the war," continued Mme. Urach, unmoved. 
 
 " Nothing of the kind, nothing of the kind!" growled the 
 old doctor, in a voice which showed how much the discovery
 
 110 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 of the case and its brilliant order had disturbed his equanimity. 
 " In the first place no one obtains this decoration except foi 
 some personal service done to or for a member of the royal 
 family; and next, I should like to see the man who, possessing 
 such a distinction, would keep it secret for years. I wonder 
 what he did to obtain it why it was bestowed on him," he 
 went on, thoughtfully, more to himself than his companion, 
 as he slowly passed his hand over his forehead, and absently 
 regarded the brilliant diamond rings on his fingers, which had 
 been given to him by his own royal duke. But what were they 
 in comparison with the contents of that glittering case on the 
 table? " This is the most coveted decoration of all/' he con- 
 tinued; " men of the highest rank vie with each other for its 
 possession, and yet here it lies unheeded and apparently un- 
 valued by a fellow, who, from sheer ignorance in his profes- 
 sion, has deservedly got himself into trouble. Pardon me, 
 madame, but it slipped out," he checked himself to say as he 
 noticed the heightened color of the proud old lady at this 
 slighting mention of her intended grandson-in-law. " But 
 really it is too bad not to know wliy he had that thing thrown 
 round his neck. I can't even make a conjecture about it." 
 
 " I don't suppose the honor was conferred on him for any 
 professional service," remarked Mme. Urach, with a smile, 
 as she watched the impatient strides of her old friend up and 
 down the room, adding, after a moment: " But how came he 
 at the court at all to win the distinction?" 
 
 The court physician stood and laughed aloud. 
 
 " My dear madame, you ask a question that it would never 
 have entered my head to ask, simply because the thing itself is 
 an impossibility, unless the world were turned upside down 
 and truth and honor were trampled under foot. No, no; he 
 must have been on some mission. I wonder of what kind?" 
 the old man continued, tapping with his fingers an impatient 
 tattoo against the window-sill. Then, in a low tone, he added, 
 over his shoulder: " He was away for a week or ten days, ana 
 no one knew where he went? H'm, that's bad! Sneaks who 
 never mention anything about their doings are sure to have 
 good reasons for keeping them dark; there are things done in 
 the medicalprofession which no honorable man would lend his 
 hand to. However, I am silent; it has never been my habit 
 to tear away the veil of another man's secret; everything must 
 take its course as He above wills." He pointed with such a 
 devout and reverential air toward the ceiling that any one who 
 did not know him so well as Mme. Urach might have been 
 deceived. He sat down at the table and scribbled off the
 
 f THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. Ill 
 
 prescription so quickly that it seemed as if the presence of the 
 velvet case had put quicksilver into his fingers. " One thing 
 I shall leave to you, my honored friend; you have so much 
 tact and diplomatic wisdom that, of course, I need not remind 
 you to be cautious, but try and find out a little about this," 
 and he pointed to the order. " I would like to know some- 
 thing of its origin before Bruck begins boasting of this dubious 
 honor, and we can ignore it now." 
 
 The old lady did not answer at once. She had been watch- 
 ing him quietly while he wrote his prescription, and noticed 
 for the first time that his face had very much altered lately; 
 the cheeks were as florid and blooming as usual, but there 
 was a worried, anxious expression about his mouth and eyes 
 that seemed to denote some hidden trouble, and the lines 
 around the nose and brow were deeper, as if he had suffered 
 from want of sleep. And she remembered then that he had 
 lately thrown out several hints about royal personages and bad 
 temper. What if she were about to lose him? not by death, 
 that it did not enter her thoughts; but if he lost his post as 
 court physician what would become of him? and she would 
 thus lose her principal link with the court. But no, such a 
 thing was not going to happen. The good old man was too 
 fond of the table, he was getting indigestion, and, becoming 
 gouty, saw things in a contrary light. 
 
 " But, my dear Herr von Bar, how do you know that this 
 belongs to the doctor himself ?" she asked, with all the confi- 
 dence of a woman of the world. "I don't think so, and, 
 what is more, I shall not believe it till I know the reason for 
 its being here. Besides, no matter how he got it if it is his, 
 it won't be of any use or service to him in this part of the 
 world, for the whole town have completely and forever tabooed 
 him from the position he held. I will do as you wish, how- 
 ever, willingly, and find out the meaning of its presence in 
 chis house, solely for your " 
 
 She checked herself, for just at that moment a door-handle 
 turned, and the mistress of the house entered the room to fetch 
 some linen from the press. 
 
 The court physician rose, handed the prescription to Mme. 
 Urach, and both were leaving the apartment when they saw 
 the widow pause by the table and close down the lid of the 
 case in dispute. But much as the old courtier longed to ask 
 two or three questions about the decoration, he had not the 
 courage to confront the calm, proud-looking lady with his 
 curiosity, and he felt obliged to leave the room with his long- 
 ing unsatisfied.
 
 112 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 In the meanwhile matters were progressing favorably in the 
 sick-chamber. Henriette seemed to have recovered from her 
 excessive exhaustion, and was partly raised in bed supported 
 by pillows at her back. Her eyes were open, and she was star- 
 ing about her in a wild manner; fever had set in, but anything 
 was better than the unconscious state of complete prostration. 
 
 Dr. Brack had fetched the globe of gold-fish from his aunt's 
 sitting-room, and when Mme. Urach and his old friend en- 
 tered, he was trying to make the tiny fountain work, in order 
 to moisten the air of the room. A large basin of fresh water 
 stood on a table by the bedside, from which he constantly re- 
 plenished a small bouquet pocket-fountain for the same pur- 
 pose. And no one watching the young man, in his earnest 
 endeavors to relieve the sufferings of his patient, could have 
 associated his handsome open countenance and untroubled 
 bearing with any conscious act of meanness or dishonor. Even 
 the court physician was obliged to acknowledge this to himself, 
 while he ground his teeth with rage at the possibility of the 
 young man's possessing the rare and highly coveted honor. 
 And for what? 
 
 Mme. Urach found Henriette was far too ill to be moved, so 
 she gave orders that the girl's maid should be sent over to sit 
 up with her during the night, as also several articles of furni- 
 ture to make the room comfortable. Kathe begged to be 
 allowed to take the maid's place and nurse her sister through 
 the night, but Dr. Bruck so sternly forbade any such thing, 
 saying he would have no one but the old lady's-maid by his 
 patient who had nursed Henriette before, that even Mme. 
 Urach and the court physician were surprised into confessing 
 he was right. The tears rose to Kathe's eyes at the cold, 
 almost rough manner in which he had replied to her request, 
 and she turned away. 
 
 Before Mme. Urach left the house, she and Flora had a short 
 conversation, in which it was agreed that the latter, with 
 Kathe, should remain by Henriette till ten o'clock. It would 
 never do when the whole affair was blazed abroad in town, the 
 next day, for it to be hinted that the proud girl had deserted 
 her sisterly post by Henriette' s bedside to the care of her 
 young half-sister Kathe, and for this reason, and no other, she 
 consented to remain under Dr. Bruck's roof till Nanni cams 
 to fetch them both at ten o'clock.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 115 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 SOON after Mrae. Uracb/s departure, several men-servants 
 appeared laden with articles of furniture and " comforts " for 
 the sick-room. When put in their appointed places, the apart- 
 ment looked incongruous and wanting in taste. The elegant 
 screen, made the black chipped stone look out of place the 
 gold-bordered porcelain washing basin and appurtenances, the 
 rich satin easy-chair and inlaid table by the bedside, together 
 with a variegated Turkey rug, formed a ridiculous contrast to 
 the faded red walls, simple chintz curtains, and old-fashioned 
 bedstead of the room. 
 
 Softly, and without noise, the widow called her maid, and 
 helped her remove the simple plain articles that were no longer 
 needed. Not once did she look across at her nephew, who was 
 standing by the window, silently regarding the change in the 
 room; perhaps she feared to see the angry flush on his brow, 
 and the indignant curl of his lip; and she would not have felt 
 more comfortable if she had caught his eye, so she studiously 
 avoided glancing toward him. 
 
 Flora superintended the arrangements; with her own fair 
 hands, she spread a green silk coverlet over Henriette's bed, 
 and contemptuously cast off a light eider-down, covered with 
 fine, clean dimity, to make room for it. After sprinkling a 
 bottle of eau-de-Cologne over the boards, she bade one of the 
 servants lay a smaller Turkey rug in one of the bow- windows, 
 and place afaitteuil on it, in which she sunk down and crossed 
 her pretty feet on an elegant little stool close by. Seeing 
 through the small mirror with a brown wooden frame that 
 her hair was out of order, she took a small lace scarf from off 
 her shoulders, and daintily fastened it on her head to hide its 
 rough appearance. The white, soft cambric was so becoming 
 to her lovely face, and looked so like a halo of glory as she 
 leaned her head in a graceful attitude against the back of the 
 chair, that the widow gazed at her hi genuine admiration, and 
 thought to herself, that she could partly understand now why 
 her nephew had loved so madly this proud girl who scarcely 
 spoke to him and seemed to think of no one but herself and 
 her own ease. 
 
 The afternoon wore on, and the setting sun began to fill the 
 room with beautiful purple and crimson rays. No one spoke. 
 Henriette objected to the blinds being lowered, and begged in
 
 114 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 her feeble voice " that they would not walk about on tiptoe;" 
 it made her suppose they thought her worse than she was. 
 
 The doctor left the room to fetch a book; when he returned, 
 he was accompanied by his aunt carrying a tray, on which 
 stood two cups of deliciously perfumed tea. The cloth which 
 covered the tray was of the very best damask; the cups were 
 of rare and costly china, the spoons of old-fashioned patterL 
 and size, but of pure silver; and a plate of tempting swe^t 
 cakes stood by a sugar-basin and cream- jug of the same pat- 
 tern and silver as the spoons. 
 
 The grand, noble-looking lady in her white linen apron 
 stepped forward, and courteusly invited her beautiful guest to 
 partake of the tempting refreshment. 
 
 " You baked the cakes yourself!" said Flora, half rising 
 from her lounge. " Ah! I smelled the batter from here when 
 you opened the kitchen door how nice!" and she clasped her 
 hands together with naive astonishment. "A poor ignorant 
 thing in household affairs, like me, has no idea how such 
 dainties are made; but what an amount of patience, and how 
 much time they must take to do!" 
 
 " Oh, no, not if one manages properly; besides, it is done 
 quickly when one is accustomed to it, said the widow, laugh- 
 ing; and I can't be slow over anything. I have a great deal 
 of time on my hands, as I am not always strong enough for 
 domestic duties. Last winter I set myself the task of reading 
 the Bible through, from beginning to end " 
 
 " As a religious duty?" asked Flora. 
 
 " No, I didn't need that; I think I know by heart all the 
 parts relating to our daily life, and how one ought to behave, 
 but while this political and religious struggle is going on, I 
 think it behooves every one to have their weapons well in order, 
 that they may be ready, if called upon, to fight. The ques- 
 tion touches women as well as men, so I thought I would study 
 9,11 the parts, and convince myself if what is being said is 
 truth." 
 
 Flora looked up in astonishment that any one should read 
 the Bible from beginning to end, for the simple purpose of be- 
 ing convinced of the truth of any statement, was to her incom- 
 prehensible; but that this widow should think fit to prepare 
 her weapons to join in the struggle going on in the world, was 
 really almost absurd. What had she and the world to do with 
 each other? Ah! now she understood the secrets of Dr. 
 Bruck's ridiculous remarks about his ideal of a woman, that 
 she ought to be " domestic," that is a good cook, and a help- 
 meet!
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 115 
 
 While Flora was turning over these thoughts in her mind s 
 Kathe rose from her seat and took the tea-tray from the old 
 lady's hand, and being able to read the signs of a coming 
 storm in her beautiful half-sister's face, she urged her to drink 
 a cup of tea. 
 
 " No, thanks, I feel too upset to take anything," she said, 
 -irritably; but a few minutes later, Kathe saw her take froiu 
 her pocket an elegant bonbonniere, and covertly eat several 
 chocolate drops, while the others were enjoying the fragrant 
 beverage. 
 
 The sun was sending forth his last rays of golden glory, and 
 those in the sick-room were watching the crimson light play- 
 ing caressingly as it were on Flora's bent head in the window 
 recess, when Henriette moaned and whispered anxiously as if 
 in fear: " Take it away! there is arsenic in green take it 
 away!" and tried with her feeble strength to push the silk 
 coverlet from the bed. 
 
 Kathe removed the obnoxious covering at once, and laid over 
 the suffering girl the cool linen one which had been there 
 when they first entered the room. 
 
 " That's nice," went on Henriette, her eyes half open and 
 rolling eagerly around. " Don't let her come here again if 
 she puts that green thing on me! Grandmamma is false, 
 false like all her drawing-room clique, she and that old horror 
 her great authority. If he touches rne again I'll scream," she 
 hissed; then raising herself she seized Kathe's hand and said 
 solemnly to Dr. Bruck: " Take care he does you no harm or 
 grandmamma either! As to her," and her tones became very 
 excited, " you know who I mean well, she smokes and drives 
 the wild ponies simply because you asked her not to do it she 
 is false, falser than all." 
 
 " Very interesting, I must say!" whispered Flora, ensconc. 
 ing herself more comfortably in her seat, while Kathe glanced 
 across at Dr. Bruck, who was quietly leaning against the 
 screen. 
 
 " You remember how things used to be, doctor?" went on 
 Henriette. ' ' How she sent you letters half a dozen times a 
 day, no matter what the weather was? How she used to fidget 
 if you didn't come to the exact moment, and directly you 
 arrived, how she would put both arms round your neck and 
 cling to you as if she never meant to part from you? You 
 hear me, doctor, don't you?" 
 
 Flora sprung up, her face scarlet, her silk skirts rustling 
 noisily on the deal boards. " Give her some morphine!" she
 
 116 IN THE COUNSELOE'S HOUSE. 
 
 exclaimed: " she is delirious make her sleep. Such ravings 
 are not to be endured. Do as I say at once!" 
 
 But he only smiled and looked at her with compassion, as 
 the red flush which his patient's words had started to his cheek 
 died away and left him strangely pale. He did not move or 
 make any reply. 
 
 Flora flung herself back in her seat, and turned her face to- 
 ward the window. 
 
 " Did you ever dream all that would change, Doctor Bruck 
 that she would ever tell you it was all a mistake?" asked 
 the sick girl, excitedly, seizing hold of Kathe's hand and 
 holding it fast, as she tried to raise herself from her recumbent 
 position. 
 
 Kathe's heart beat fast. She dared not look at the young 
 man now, after that strange, searching question. Bending 
 over the half -delirious girl, she laid her cool hand on her fore- 
 head, hoping to change the current of her wild thoughts. 
 
 " Ah how nice!" said the invalid, in a quieter tone. Then, 
 after a moment she added, feverishly: " Flora always took his 
 hand away when he laid it on my forehead she was jealous 
 of even me terribly jealous. " 
 
 A low mocking laugh came from the window recess, but 
 Henriette took no notice of it, apparently she did not even 
 hear it. 
 
 " I can't sleep for thinking of all the misery that is coming 
 to you," she moaned out as if in pain. " You will shun our 
 house and never mention our name, and be a miserable man, 
 for she means to break her engagement at every cost 
 
 In her distress and agony at hearing these true revelations, 
 Kathe laid her finger on the poor excited girl's mouth, but the 
 action seemed to excite her more. 
 
 " How dare you touch my lips like that horrid fellow in the 
 forest?" 
 
 Flora sprung from her seat a second time, hurried over to 
 the bed, pushed Kathe almost rudely aside, and standing in 
 -her place, cried out, beesechingly: 
 
 " Don't stop her let her say what she likes!" 
 
 " Yes, what she likes," repeated Henriette, beginning to 
 stammer from exhaustion, but pleased as a child to have her 
 own way. " Who will tell you the truth, doctor, if I don't? 
 Who else will warn you? Be on your guard, or she will fly 
 away from you like the doves from a tree. She means to be 
 free, I can tell you!" 
 
 " Whatever else she says, there is truth in that," interrupted 
 Flora, firmly, drawing a step nearer the young man. " She is
 
 IN THE COUNSELOK'S HOUSE. 117 
 
 quite right; I can not keep my promise to you, Leo. Will 
 you give me up, let me be free?" she added, clasping her 
 hands and speaking in a sweet, earnest tone that startled 
 Kathe, it was so musical and soft. 
 
 The young man's face was white as death as he silently and 
 sternly looked at the beautiful suppliant. He seemed as if it 
 ^as impossible for him to speak just now. He stretched out 
 uis hand to wave her away, but she took it in both hers and 
 repeated : 
 
 " You will give me back my freedom, Leo?" 
 
 " This is not the place for the separation you seek." 
 
 " But the right moment. Another has said the words I 
 have been longing for months past to utter only I hadn't 
 the courage " 
 
 " Because it would be a notorious violation of faith on your 
 part." 
 
 She bit her lip. 
 
 " Your remark is hard and scarcely to the point our en- 
 gagement was not quite of such a serious nature. No one has 
 taken your place in my heart. Don't smile so sarcastically, 
 Leo. Indeed I mean it," she added, passionately; " I am not 
 thinking of any other husband. But I'll even run the risk of 
 that reproach," she said, after a moment more, composedly, 
 " if you will consent to my prayer and keep us from making 
 each other miserable. " 
 
 " Don't bring my happiness or unhappiness into the dis- 
 cussion. You can't possibly know what I understand by 
 either; but I think you will have to acknowledge to yourself 
 even that neither one nor the other will have any influence 
 over the way a man should act in defending his honor and self- 
 esteem. And now I must beg you to be silent on the subject, 
 so as not to excite your sister. " 
 
 He turned away and walked over to the window. Flora fol- 
 lowed him. 
 
 " Henriette is not listening," she said. 
 The poor little invalid had fallen back on her pillows and 
 lay quite still. 
 
 Lowering her voice and leaning toward him, Flora con- 
 tinued in a beseeching tone: 
 
 " I must and will have a clear and distinct understanding 
 between us. Why put off what can be done just as well 
 now?" and she played nervously with the third finger of her 
 left hand. "Answer me!" 
 
 " What are you exchanging life by my side for?" he asked,
 
 118 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 suddenly, facing round upon her so brusquely that she drew 
 back. 
 
 " Is it necessary to tell you that?" she exclaimed, with a sigh 
 of relief, pushing back her hair. " Can't you see how my 
 whole soul longs to be entirely devoted to literature? How 
 can I give myself up to the inspiration of my talent if I un- 
 dertake wifely duties? No! never, never! It must not, can 
 not be!" 
 
 " It's very strange that this enthusiasm for literary pursuits 
 has only lately taken possession of you. It is scarcely a month 
 since you " 
 
 " You mean to say that I have lived nine-and-twenty years 
 without any wish for fame," she interrupted, with a glowing 
 face. " Explain that as you will, put it down to the wom- 
 an's nature who fluctuates between this and that, tries one 
 thing and the other till she finds the right." 
 
 " But are you sure you are right now in wishing to devote 
 your life to literature?"' 
 
 " As sure as that the needle points to the pole." 
 
 He did not reply. His face assumed a very grave expres- 
 sion, and his brow contracted as if with pain. Yet, in spite of 
 the gravity of his countenance, his dark, gray eyes gazed down 
 on the woman at his side with a loving pity and tenderness 
 shining in them that one would have thought must have 
 moved the heart of a stone. Then he slowly turned away and 
 crossed the room. He took up the medicine bottle and spoon, 
 and went near the bed. 
 
 Henriette had fallen asleep, still holding Kathe's hand. 
 Several times Kathe had tried to draw her hand away in order 
 to leave the room; but each movement of hers seemed to dis- 
 turb the invalid, who moaned and opened her eyes for a second, 
 and held her fingers in a closer clasp; thus the young girl was 
 forced, against her will, to be a witness to the painful scene 
 between the lovers. 
 
 When the doctor approached the bed he did not appear to 
 notice Kathe's presence; he seemed to be doing his duty 
 mechanically, as if hardly conscious of what he was about. 
 For a moment he looked earnestly at the sleeping girl, then 
 attempted to feel her pulse. In doing so he accidentally 
 touched Kathe's hand, which made him start so violently and 
 change color so rapidly that she in her turn started and drew 
 her hand from Henriette's clasp, wondering why he should be 
 so nervous that a touch of her fingers had such an effect on 
 him. Was he Buffering from the shock of Flora's bitter
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 119 
 
 words? She stole a shy glance at him, and heard him heave a 
 deep sigh, as he put the bottle and spoon back on the table. 
 
 Flora seemed to be getting more angry and impatient each 
 moment. She paced the room once or twice, then suddenly 
 hesitated and followed the doctor to the table. His silence 
 and attention to his duties where the invalid was concerned, in 
 the middle of a discussion that was to influence the future of 
 both their lives, irritated her beyond measure. 
 
 With trembling lips and flashing eyes, she said : 
 
 " It was very foolish of me to speak so openly of my feelings 
 just now. You hate and despise talented women, and many 
 of your sex have a horror of a woman being independent and 
 standing on her own rights " 
 
 " If it is not possible for her to do so, certainly." 
 
 For the space of one moment she wildly clinched her hands, 
 and stared at him in speechless dismay; recovering herself the 
 next, she replied, sharply: 
 
 " What do you mean oy saying that?" 
 
 A flush passed over his face, and his brows contracted as if 
 he shrunk from the sharp, metallic ring of her voice. His 
 was a sensitive nature, and this war of words with his promised 
 wife was evidently very distasteful to his inclinations. 
 
 After a slight hesitation, he answered, calmly, but wearily: 
 
 " I mean that this * standing on her own rights/ which is 
 quite legitimate for a woman who does not neglect home duties 
 or home ties, requires more strength and tenacity of will, a 
 more complete abnegation of womanly vanity, and more real 
 sterling talent than you are aware of." 
 
 " And you dispute my talents?" 
 
 " I have read your recent article on woman's rights and the 
 labor question," and his voice trembled with the slightest 
 accent of irony. 
 
 Flora started back as if she had been struck. 
 
 " How do you know that the article you read was mine?" 
 she asked, hesitatingly, while she looked him straight in the 
 eyes with feverish excitement. " I write under a cipher. " 
 
 " But your cipher has been whispered from one to the other 
 among your large circle of friends, till it was tolerably well 
 known ere it appeared in print. " 
 
 For a moment she drooped her eyes with shame. 
 
 " Well, you have read it," she said, presently; "but what 
 am I to think of your silence on the subject of your not on? 
 having expressed your disapproval ?" 
 
 " Would you have ceased writing if I had?" 
 
 '' No a thousand times nol"
 
 130 Df THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " That I knew. Hence I determined to be silent till we 
 were married; for I am sure that a sensible wife will conform 
 to her husband's wishes, and not isolate herself from his side 
 to strive after impossibilities, but prove she has talents by be- 
 ing his companion and " 
 
 " But, then, according to you, I have no talents," she broke 
 in, impetuously. 
 
 " Nay, Flora, that I didn't say. You are clever and quick- 
 witted, but not a genius," he answered, shaking his head, 
 with a smile peeping forth from under his heavy mustache. 
 
 For a moment or two she seemed paralyzed at his audacity, 
 then, stretching out her hands in a fury, her face flushing, 
 her eyes like burning coals, she exclaimed : 
 
 " Thank God the last link is snapped! You dare to suggest 
 my becoming a slave a poor, submissive wife, with every 
 spark of poetic inspiration crushed out of me in order to con- 
 vert me into a a nonentity?" 
 
 Her raised voice awoke her suffering sister, who started up 
 and stared wildly around her. 
 
 Dr. Bruck hastened to the bedside, laid his cool hand on her 
 forehead, spoke a few soothing words to quiet her agitation, 
 and succeeded in persuading her to lie down and close her eyes 
 in sleep. 
 
 " I must entreat you not to disturb your sister again; I can 
 not answer for the consequences if you do/' he said, turning 
 his head toward Flora, but not moving his hand from Hen- 
 riette's brow. 
 
 " I have nothing more to say," replied Flora, with a willful 
 misunderstanding of meaning, as she drew her gloves from her 
 pocket. "Our engagement is at an end, as your last speech 
 implies, and I am free 
 
 " Because I deny you are a genius, as you fancy?" he asked, 
 in a subdued tone. 
 
 Then, turning from the bedside, he strode over to where she 
 stood. All the soft tenderness had gone from his eyes he 
 was a changed man. His tall, broad-shouldered figure towered 
 far above her head, passion and anger seemed to have taken 
 possession of him, as he said, in a voice trembling with emotion 
 and suppressed passion: 
 
 " Which of the two did I woo and win, the writer or the 
 woman? Answer me. You know it was you, and you as a 
 simple woman only. As such you put your hand in mine, 
 and promised to be my wife, knowing full well that I disliked 
 publicity for a woman where it could be avoided; that I have 
 chosen you for yourself alone, to be the stay and glory of my
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 121 
 
 fireside, not that you might shine before the world as an au- 
 thor. You knew all this quite well, and at that time it pleased 
 you to suppress any wishes to the contrary you might have 
 had. I am very much astonished that you yourself have 
 altered; that you have strayed into the path I would rather 
 you had avoided. You have brains and tact, and ought to 
 have understood that I sought you to be my companion,, and 
 the pride and joy of my home " 
 
 He heaved a deep sigh as he checked himself for a moment, 
 but he still gazed sternly on the beautiful face of the woman 
 who stood meekly before him, listening to his words with an 
 air of innocence and unconsciousness of wrong-doing about her 
 that seemed to irritate him, as he went on : 
 
 " I have watched with close earnestness the change in you, 
 from the first cloud on your beautiful brow to your entreaty 
 for freedom from our engagement just now. Your very weak- 
 nesses, Flora, you are not strong enough to resist; pride, am- 
 bition, vanity, even capriciousness of temper, are all there, and 
 yet you aspire to strong-mindedness, wish to play the role of 
 a leader in the woman's right question, and claim the privileges 
 of equality with man. What J think of this strange caprice, 
 if it pains or pleases me, if I shall be happy or miserably un- 
 happy in the future, is not the question now. We have solemn- 
 ly and freely engaged ourselves for life, and so it shall remain. 
 You have been reproached often enough with cruelly playing 
 with men's hearts, and then boasting of your conquest, but 
 you shall not do the same by me, of that I warn you. You 
 are not free; I do not release you from your engagement, my 
 beautiful mistress. You may commit perjury on your side or 
 not, it is all the same 7 mean to keep my word. " 
 
 "For shame!" she cried out, passionately. "Will you 
 force me to stand with you at the altar when I swear that 
 that I don't love you, that here, now I tell you that I hate 
 you, it's long since I loved you do you hear? and that it is 
 only by a strong effort over myself that I refrain from saying 
 that I hate you, Leo, with the bitterest hatred a woman can 
 feel." 
 
 Kathe could bear this scene no longer; with a white face 
 and limbs trembling with fear and anxiety for the conse- 
 quences of Flora's bold statement, she hurried from the rooaj 
 into the fresh air.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 As Kathe passed through the hall she saw the widow wash- 
 ing up the tea-things at a table in the kitchen near the dooi. 
 She nodded pleasantly to the young girl, and made a laugh- 
 ing remark about leaving the lovers alone for a little, per- 
 fectly unconscious of the sad state of affairs between them. 
 Kathe winced and did not reply, but hurried on to the garden. 
 
 The evening was cool, a strong wind had sprung up, and 
 she shivered as she slowly paced the gravel walk unprotected 
 by shawl or wrap from its chilling influence. The hot blood 
 was rushing through her veins, from the unwonted excitement 
 she was in, so that, although she shivered, she was not con- 
 scious of the cold wind blowing about her. Her cheeks were 
 burning and her head ached with the emotion caused by the 
 conversation she had just heard. 
 
 Hot as her cheeks were they grew still hotter with shame, 
 as she thought over the cruel bitterness of her sister's conduct 
 to a man who was a " thousand times too good for her/" 
 though and Kathe paused and clasped her hands together in 
 amazement unworthy as Flora was, he would not give her 
 up. 
 
 Kathe wandered on beyond the garden, down the pathway 
 till she reached the rustic bridge. There she leaned against 
 its wooden support, and looked over the parapet below into 
 the rushing water, tumbling and gurgling, hurried along by the 
 wind at her feet some of the spray, as it dashed against the 
 stones, falling on her skirts and wetting her boots. Over- 
 head the full moon was shining brightly and its reflection 
 appeared visible in the dark, turbulent water, still and un- 
 moved as if fixed there forever. Was this like love, true love? 
 Could love shine like that, in the midst of outward disturb- 
 ance? 
 
 Love was a wonderful passion after all, and led men and 
 women to do strange deeds. Kathe's thoughts as she stood by 
 the bridge, und peered down into the dark waters, wandered 
 away from the scene she had just witnessed to a story the 
 widow had told her a few days before of the last tenant of the 
 old-fashioned house. 
 
 She was a young, beautiful widow, who lived there in retire- 
 ment after the death of her husband, the lord of the adjacent 
 castle. The new lord was a young, handsome fellow, and a 
 cousin by marriage. He had seen the beautiful face of th&
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 123 
 
 young widow shrouded in her weeds, bending over her em- 
 broidery-frame at the window, and after a few months he fell 
 into the habit of spurring his noble steed right across the old 
 bridge, and riding close to the window, to have a little talk 
 with the lovely inmate of the house, kiss her delicate white 
 hand, and repeat the vows he had made, that as soon as he 1 " 
 term of mourning was over he would fetch her to his castle to 
 reign there again as its mistress. 
 
 Then he was obliged to go away to a foreign court, and as 
 the weeks slipped by, and the young widow began to prepare 
 for her second marriage, rumors reached her that the lord of 
 the castle was about to wed a fair and lovely damsel, and bring 
 her to his home to be its mistress. But the young widow 
 would not believe in so must falseness; she only laughed, and 
 sat at her window daily watching for her handsome lover till 
 one day the blasts of trumpets and the clanging of instruments 
 fell on her ear, and she was told it was in celebration of the 
 arrival of the young lord and his bride at the castle. 
 
 A few days later the bride and bridegroom crossed the rustic 
 bridge to pay their respects to the young widow of the late 
 lord. The bride's train, heavy with golden embroidery, 
 rustled and crackled over the gravel path, and the fan in her 
 hand glittered with precious stones. The beautiful grey- 
 hound, which had many a time received biscuits and sweet 
 cake from the hand of the noble lady at the window, sprung 
 forward toward the house, then turned back to the river, and 
 whined, and moaned in mournful yelps. The bridegroom fol- 
 lowed to see what was the matter, and turned pale as he saw 
 before him the cold corpse of the beautiful lady he had be- 
 trayed, with her eyes wide open, staring, as he thought, re- 
 proachfully at him. 
 
 It was from that same window, where the lady had listened 
 to the false love vows, that the light from the doctor's evening 
 lamp was always visible after dark; and from it the poor, for- 
 saken one must often have gazed into the dark flowing river 
 wherein she had laid her delicate head, rather than live to 
 mourn over the heart she had lost. 
 
 Fifty years had passed since then and now, and the sufferer 
 inhabited that room, tormented with similar doubts but with 
 this difference, thought Kathe. He is a man endowed with 
 talents, has the world before him, and can overcome the weak- 
 ness of his love by energetic work and a brilliant career. He 
 would not think of putting an end to his life like the poor 
 weak woman because the woman he coveted had said she 
 would never be his!
 
 124 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE: 
 
 A moment later the girl started and her cheek paled In the 
 darkness, as she remembered Henriette's ominous remark that 
 " any one who had seen how fascinating " Flora could be to 
 the man she loved, would know that he would seek death 
 rather than give her up. 
 
 He would be obliged to give her up now, for she had told him 
 in bitter, cruel words that she hated him. 
 
 Kathe turned away from the bridge with a shudder, hak 
 fearing in her nervousness to see the corpse of the miserable 
 woman appear before her eyes, and stretch out her hands to 
 her for help. 
 
 It was quite dark. The forest in the distance looked like a 
 gloomy mass of black clouds, and stood so still and solemn 
 that it was difficult to believe every branch and twig and leaf 
 were swaying to and fro in wild confusion from the force of 
 the wind. 
 
 The weather-cock on the roof toiled first one way, then the 
 other. The silver poplars bent their tall heads with graceful 
 ease as the wind swept over them, and every bush and branch 
 in the copse near the house creaked and moaned as each gust 
 passed through them. 
 
 With a shy, anxious glance Kathe turned toward the house. 
 A subdued light gleamed from the windows of the guest cham- 
 ber, where she had left the lovers standing by the window. 
 The angry interview was not over yet, for the doctor was still 
 occupying the same spot, and, as Kathe nervously peeped in, 
 he was standing with his arms raised, as if imploring silence 
 from Flora, who had retreated to the middle of the room. 
 What could she have been saying to call up that drawn, hag- 
 gard, yet passionate expression on the young man's face? Her 
 own had a mocking triumphant gleam over it, that made her 
 look like a beautiful demon in woman's form. Kathe's im- 
 pulse was to spring forward, rush into the room, reproach her 
 faithless half-sister with her cruel conduct, and do her best to 
 comfort the man who was being so bitterly wronged. But a 
 moment's reflection showed her how absurd such a proceeding 
 on her part would be. She ground her teeth with rage, then 
 a moment later trembled all over as she asked herself what 
 would he think of her if he knew she wished to comfort him, 
 he who had hardly spoken to her since her arrival, who had 
 studiously treated her with ceremonious politeness, and who 
 had quietly put aside out of his room the wild blue flowers she 
 had inadvertently left on his writing-table not a week ago. 
 And in spite of the shielding darkness she blushed a rosy red, 
 and felt as if she would like to hide herself under the earth for
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 13a 
 
 her momentary desire to stand by his side and express he* 
 warm sympathy for his sufferings. 
 
 She turned away, her whole frame quivering with emotion 
 and an unaccustomed feeling of loneliness creeping over her. 
 She did not like to go back to the garden, so she hovered about 
 near the house, and presently found herself looking in at the 
 kitchen window, where the widow was making some prepara- 
 oion for the next day's dinner. She longed to go in and offer 
 to help her, but she dared not trust herself just now under 
 the sharp, scrutinizing glance of the old lady's clear, searching 
 eyes. She went round to the front door, which stood open, 
 softly crossed the hall, and entered the widow's private sitting- 
 room, hoping to calm and quiet herself before she had occasion 
 to encounter any member of the household. She sat down in 
 the easy-chair near the work-table. The ivy of the tiny alcove 
 touched her hair as she leaned back. The sweet evening per- 
 fume of the hyacinth and narcissus filled the air around her, 
 the canary hopped now and again from one perch to the other, 
 twittering feebly as if tired, and trying to keep himself awake; 
 but although the presence of the bird made her feel less lone- 
 ly, she was still nervous and trembling. In vain she tried to 
 Daway from her thoughts the image the dark water outside 
 conjured to her brain of the dead woman who had drowned 
 herself for love, and in spite of all her efforts, Henriette's 
 speech, that the doctor would not survive Flora's loss, recurred 
 to her excited brain and made her head hot and her hands cold, 
 for surely the invalid would not have said it if she did not be- 
 lieve it. 
 
 Presently, through the open door communicating with the 
 doctor's room, she saw the widow go in, light his lamp, re- 
 plenish the fire, draw down the blinds, and then return to the 
 kitchen. A few moments later the young man himself ap- 
 peared on the threshold, one hand pressed to his forehead, the 
 other hanging listlessly by his side. He evidently had no idea 
 that a human being was watching him from the outer darkened 
 room with a beating heart and a terrified, anxious expression 
 contracting her young face till it appeared to double the num- 
 ber of her years. 
 
 Suddenly he crossed over to his writing-table, and Kathe 
 noiselessly rose from her seat and watched his every movement. 
 She saw him sit down under the light of the lamp which sharp- 
 ened the outline of his profile, and made her see the deep flush 
 on forehead and cheeks, and the excited gleam of his eye-s. 
 He hastily scribbled a few lines on a sheet of paper, though his 
 hand shook visibly, folded and rut it in an envelope with fever-
 
 126 IN THE COUNSELOK'S HOUSE. 
 
 ish, eager haste, then wrote an address on the outside. Whose 
 name was inscribed there? Was there anything left on earth 
 for him to care about, that he could think of now? The note 
 must be for Flora his last farewell. Then he took up the 
 decanter of water on the table; poured some into the crystal 
 glass Kathe had thoughtlessly used for her flowers a few days 
 before, and opening a drawer drew forth a tiny glass-stoppered 
 .nedicine bottle. He held it to the light, as if to assure him- 
 self it was all right, then dripped into the crystal glass four or 
 live clear colorless drops of the liquid. 
 
 Kathe had watched these proceedings with a feeling that her 
 heart had suddenly stood still, and that she could not move if 
 she tried; but the last drop had barely reached the water ere 
 she regained her power of action, and with one noiseless 
 bound stood by his side, her left hand laid on his shoulder, her 
 right seizing the hand which held the glass just as he was put- 
 ting it to his lips. 
 
 She could not utter a sound, but all she felt, all she feared 
 was expressed in the terror-stricken face she turned toward 
 him. She gave one horrified look into his eyes, then started 
 back and sunk down on her knees, bowed her head in her 
 hands from shame, and burst into an uncontrollable flood of 
 tears. 
 
 Then, and then only, it flashed across his mind what she 
 had imagined he was about to do, and the effort she had made 
 to preserve his life when falsely supposing he was in the act of 
 committing suicide. He rose, put the glass on the table, and 
 taking one of her hands in his, pressed it warmly and whis- 
 pered: 
 
 " Kathe, dear Kathe!" 
 
 He tried to look in her face, but she turned it resolutely 
 from him, feeling ashamed in her warm, sympathizing, girlish 
 heart that he should see the extent of her emotion. Never be- 
 fore had he realized the existence of such a strong, passionate 
 nature in this reserved bright young girl. 
 
 His voice was husky, but low and tender as he said again* 
 
 " Kathe, Kathe, don't cry so!" 
 
 She gently put aside his hand, and hastily swallowing the 
 sobs that still shook her whole frame with their force, mak- 
 ing her round bosom heave, she said: 
 
 " I have Bounded you, Herr Doctor, I know. You will 
 never, never be able to forget that senseless act of mine. 
 Good heavens! how could I have been so mad as to imagine 
 that " she checked herself and her mouth quivered; after a 
 moment's hesitation, she added softly as she raised her liquid
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 12? 
 
 brown eyes to his, with a world of passionate entreaty and self- 
 accusation shining in their clear depths: " Don't, please, judge 
 me so harshly; all I have gone through to-day might well upset 
 a stronger head than mine. How could I think you meant 
 it? How can you ever forgive me for such a thought?" 
 
 He gazed at the beautiful, quivering mouth while uttering 
 these bitter self -accusations as if it pained him, he felt so help- 
 less and wretched himself. 
 
 " You have not wounded me, dear Kathe," he said, pres- 
 ently, a smile creeping over his face to comfort her. " And 
 what have I to do by judging you? What you could have seen 
 in my character and actions to -cause you to think that I would 
 commit the rash act you feared, I can not imagine. I will not 
 even think about it, one way or the other, but your mistake 
 has caused me to live through a few moments I hope never to 
 forget while I exist. And now calm yourself, or rather let me 
 as a doctor prescribe for you." He took up the crystal glass 
 from the table. " Drink some of this, it will do you good. 
 But first perhaps I ought to explain." He hesitated, then, 
 after a moment, went on: "I allowed myself to grow heated 
 and angry a little while ago in the sick-room. I have nerves 
 and hot blood like other people, yet I blame myself for giving 
 way to my feelings while discharging my duty, and to quiet 
 my excited nerves I came in here to get this," he touched the 
 little bottle as he spoke; " a few drops taken in cold water 
 soothes and calms the greatest excitement. Will you drink it?" 
 
 She lifted the crystal glass to her lips and obediently drank 
 its contents to the last drop. 
 
 " I am very sorry you were a witness to the painful scene 
 between Flora and myself just now," he said, slowly and em- 
 phatically, taking the empty glass out of her hand. " I regret 
 it all the more, because by a few judicious words from me 
 some days ago we might have avoided the discussion altogether, 
 perhaps." He smiled such a grim forced smile that poor 
 Kathe shuddered. " I am plagued with such confounded beg- 
 garly pride, as one of my college chums once remarked, and I 
 am not given to talking about what I feel, hence this * beggar- 
 ly pride ' has developed into a sort of Cassandra's curse on 
 me. The world mistakes silence for incapacity, and judges 
 accordingly. I see lots of people of easy-going natures, not 
 troubled with my curse and satisfied with themselves, able to 
 calculate to a nicety the position they will hold after so many 
 years' work; but I how I hate it all! tbe hollowness of the 
 world disgusts me!" And he stamped his foot on the ground, 
 is if crushing some venomous reptile to death. He was stili
 
 128 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUS1. 
 
 excited, still wanting in his usual calm self-possession of man- 
 ner. His whole being seemed in a fever, and he began rest- 
 lessly pacing to and fro, every now and then pausing for a sec- 
 ond to look at the photograph, hung over his writing-table, of 
 the lovely woman who had raised his passion, won his love, 
 and now ruthlessly sought to sever herself from his life. Once 
 she had responded to his affection, accepted his passionate de- 
 votion, and promised to be the ideal and joy and loving genius 
 of the celebrated and far-famed young doctor's home. 
 
 But that had all passed now; he had found out by degrees 
 that it was not his home she wished to shine in, but a brilliant, 
 well-filled drawing-room. She had no longing now to be his 
 wife and loved companion, but a much-admired queen of 
 society, worshiped and lauded for her beauty, grace, and intel' 
 lectual endowments. He knew all this, and yet even in answer 
 to her prayer for freedom from her engagement, he would not 
 give her up. Kathe looked up at him questioningly, longing 
 to ask if he still meant to marry Flora, in spite of her ac- 
 knowledgment that the love she had once given him had since 
 changed into hatred; but with that stern expression on his face 
 she dared not venture, and to console herself, involuntarily 
 frowned at the smiling picture and shook her head. Then she 
 rose and prepared to leave the room. 
 
 " Yes, you must go, I suppose," he said, standing still and 
 looking down on the sweet young face and innocent eyes raised 
 to his. 
 
 " The maid arrived just before I left Henriette's room, with 
 a message from Madame Urach, begging you and Flora to join 
 her at the villa, as she has guests to tea and can not do without 
 her young ladies. Don't be anxious about Henriette, she is 
 doing well, and I give you my word that there is no danger at 
 present, so be comforted about her; I will take the teiiderest 
 care of her, you may be sure now go; those drops have done 
 you good already ' J 
 
 She interrupted him, earnestly entreating to be allowed to 
 remain and nurse her sick sister through the night. 
 
 " No, nothing of the sort; the maid is quite sufficient; but 
 before you go, give me your hand, Kathe. " He held out his, 
 and she laid her slender fingers in it without a second's hesita- 
 tion. " And now, whatever you hear said about me this even- 
 ing, don't be led into condemning me. In a few days she will 
 think differently," and he nodded his head without looking up 
 at Flora's portrait, ' ' and that will decide me. I must not. 
 dare not reproach myseli with taking advantage of this happy 
 moment."
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 129 
 
 looked at him, us if asking for an explanation to his 
 words; but he merely shook his head gently, as much as to 
 say: " Yes, so it is;" and neither spoke. 
 
 " Good-night, good-night!" he said, presently, and letting 
 go her hand he walked over to the table, while she went to- 
 yard the door. Involuntarily she turned her head on reach- 
 ing the threshold; she saw him raise the empty crystal glass .ix 
 his lips; the next moment it had fallen to the floor, dashed ii 
 a hundred pieces. 
 
 When Rathe reached the sick-chamber Flora was standin{ 
 ready dressed for going home. " Where have you been, 
 child?" she asked, sharply; " grandmamma is waiting for us, 
 and we shall get a sharp reprimand for keeping the tea stand- 
 ing, and all from your fault/' 
 
 Kathe did not answer; throwing the wrap the maid had 
 brought round her head, she went over to the bedside. Hen- 
 riette was sleeping gently, and the fever in her cheeks seemed 
 subdued; softly kissing the little hand on the coverlet, the 
 young girl followed her elder half-sister into the hall. There 
 a footman awaited the young ladies, with lantern in hand, to 
 conduct them through the park to the villa. As they crossed 
 the old-fashioned oaken floor, a side-door opened, and Dr. 
 Bruck appeared, holding in his hand the hasty note he had 
 written, which Kathe had so falsely mistaken for his farewell 
 to the world. Her cheeks flushed painfully as she heard him 
 ask the fortman to take it to the house of one of the doctors in 
 town, and wait for an answer. Without glancing at his face, 
 the young girl hurried past him, and entering the kitchen, 
 bade good-night to the widow. 
 
 A few moments later the doctor's aunt opened her eyes 
 wide with astonishment on entering the hall to find that Flora 
 had left her house without so much as a formal good-night or 
 word of thanks; but she said nothing, and quietly followed her 
 nephew into the sick-room to see that all was satisfactorily ar- 
 ranged for the sick girl's comfort. 
 
 Just beyond the bridge, Flora stood still and looked back at 
 the old-fashioned house. The light from the hall shone faintly 
 on her face, exhibiting the scornful expression which curled 
 her mouth as she muttered aloud in ironical tones: 
 
 " Certainly the old place is to my taste just what I should 
 like a hut and a heart a husband without profession or in- 
 fluence a skeleton in the cupboard, and no other income 
 than my miserable pittance, which is barely enough to dress 
 me decently. Never before to-day have I realized what it is 
 to be humbled; for the first time in my life I felt oppressed
 
 130 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 and overcome by all those poverty-stricken surroundings j and 
 I shuddered as I realized the narrow escape I have had of being 
 tied down to such an existence for life. God grant Henriette 
 may get over this attack, for I shall never enter that house 
 again never not even to see her again. How I have been 
 deceived, to be sure. Good heavens! I shall never forgive my- 
 self for being so blind as to be caught by him " 
 
 The wind blew her skirts round her knees and loosened the 
 scarf on her head, and the water dashed in a fury against the 
 stones at her feet, but she heeded nothing; her thoughts were 
 concentrated on the subject of her unfortunate engagement. 
 She went back a few steps, and stood on the boards of the old 
 bridge. 
 
 " He says he won't give me up in spite of all my entreaties, 
 and all I have told him," she said, catching hold of Kathe's 
 arm to prevent her going on; " you were there, you heard him 
 say so. What a poor, mean-spirited fellow he must be, to 
 cling so tenaciously to the letter of our engagement, when he 
 knows the spirit of it has gone forever! He knows he has de- 
 ceived me shamefully, and if he were an honorable man he 
 would release me from our bond. Let him let him remem- 
 ber for the rest of his life that a shadow rests on his honor 
 from this moment I am free free!" 
 
 And snatching off her betrothal-ring, she flung it into the 
 seething river at her feet. 
 
 " Flora, how can you!" cried Kathe, in an agonized tone, 
 stretching out her hand as if to recover the lost ring, which 
 had gleamed for a second in the dark air, then disappeared 
 forever in the waters. She shuddered too, and laid her hand 
 over her eyes as if she feared the spirit of the wronged fair 
 widow would rise out of the river to avenge this insult to 
 faithful love. 
 
 " Don't be foolish, Kathe if I had sprung in under the 
 waves myself you couldn't look more scared," said Flora. " I 
 have no doubt that many a woman has done it too from a less 
 cause; I have simply flung away the last link of a hated chain 
 it was merely a thin gold hoop, ' simple ' as everything else 
 over there," she added, caressing the third finger of her left 
 hand, and nodding toward the house they had quitted; " and 
 yet it felt as heavy as iron. Well, I've done it, there let it lie; 
 a new life is before me!" 
 
 Yes, she had thrown off the yoke at last " thrown it off at 
 any cost," as she had often threatened to do; and the symbol 
 of the bond she had broken lay out of sight under the rolling 
 waters.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 131 
 
 When thtj sisters reached the villa, a man-servant met them 
 in the hall, and informed them that several visitors had ar- 
 rived, and tea was to be served in ohe large drawing-room. 
 
 " All the better!" remarked Flora to Kathe. " I am not 
 at all in the humor for a lecture from grandmamma. Old 
 Madame Steimitz will have so many scandals and so much gos- 
 sip to retail, that I and my actions need not be discussed to- 
 night. I shall just go and pour out tea for them, and thec 
 retire *to my own room, to rejoice in and enjoy my new-born 
 freedom," she added in a whisper to Kathe, as they separated 
 at the top of the stairs. 
 
 But Kathe felt too upset to listen to the gossip going on in 
 the drawing-room, and sent down a message of excuse for her 
 absence on the plea of severe headache. Her heart and body 
 both ached, and the blood coursed feverishly through her veins, 
 as if she were going to be ill. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE next morning the villa was in a state of commotion. 
 Late overnight the counselor had arrived from Berlin, accom- 
 panied by two friends, and before retiring to rest had an- 
 nounced to the housekeeper that he had invited several friends 
 in town to join him and his guests at breakfast the next morn- 
 ing. 
 
 " Now mind, the notice is short, I allow, but I expect you 
 to do your best, and let the breakfast be first-rate. About 
 seven or eight gentlemen will be here by ten, " he added to the 
 sleepy and astonished woman, who knew very well that a 
 " first-rate breakfast " was not such an easy thing to prepare 
 as her master seemed to imagine, especially when the order 
 was given in the middle of the night, and the nearest butcher's 
 shop was two or three miles off. 
 
 All night through Kathe had been wakeful. The wine/ 
 howling round the house, added to the excitement of the day, 
 prevented her sleeping. For hours she sat at her window, 
 watching the swaying to and fro of the trees in the park, and 
 trying to catch a glimpse of the gilded weather-cock over the 
 roof of the house by the river; but in vain. Every now and 
 again, in her anxiety about Henriette, she fancied she saw a 
 messenger coming along the path on that side of the park, 
 bringing, of course, the worst news of the poor little invalid. 
 
 The wind was so high she had not heard the approaching 
 wheels of the carriage bearing her guardian and his friends to 
 the door; and it was with a start of surprise that she saw the
 
 132 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 servants hurrying to and fro with shaded lanterns, assisting 
 the gentlemen to alight. She had not been looking that way 
 at all, and when she turned her head and suddenly observed 
 the bright light from the hall shining on the figures of the new 
 arrivals, and glittering on the silver and gold ornaments of the 
 harness, together with the flashing of the lanterns on the 
 bronze and marble pillars of the portico, she drew back fronv. 
 ner position at the window, imagining, in her astonishment at 
 the unexpected scene below, that she herself could be seen. 
 
 She recognized the tall, elegant figure of her guardian as he 
 sprung down from the curricle, and watched the kindly way 
 he patted the horses' necks ere he entered the house, with a 
 curiosity and wonder quite involuntary on her part. The 
 whole scene was so noiseless and unexpected, it appeared more 
 like a fairy dream than a reality; and when all was dark, and 
 the last light had disappeared, she threw off her dressing-gown 
 and lay down on her bed. 
 
 Early dawn was creeping in at the windows ere she closed 
 her eyes, and then she slept till a couple of hours later than 
 usual; so that instead of reaching the house by the river soon 
 after six, as she intended, it was nine o'clock when she found 
 herself in the park. 
 
 It was a beautiful, bright, clear morning; the wind had 
 lulled at sunrise, and the air was sweet with the perfume of 
 violets and other spring flowers. 
 
 When Kathe reached the bridge, the water, which had been 
 so turbulent the evening before, was flowing peacefully along, 
 glittering in the sunlight and murmuring under the worm- 
 eaten planks with a soft, gentle gurgle that tempted the 
 young girl to linger by its side and listen to the music of its 
 voice. 
 
 The old house had an air of festivity and gayety about it 
 that attracted Kathe 's attention and made her wonder what 
 ?ould have happened to give it such a joyous appearance. 
 The path leading up to the porch was sprinkled with the finest 
 silver sand, and carefully raked in a pretty zigzag pattern. 
 The table by the door was covered with a clean linen cloth, on 
 which stood an antique vase full of lovely flowers and freshly 
 cut evergreens. 
 
 The faithful old servant, who has been with her mistress so 
 many years, was standing by the kitchen door, her face glow- 
 ing with happiness and soap and water, her sleeves neatly 
 pinned above her elbows, and a large white apron half hiding 
 the cleanest and freshest of cotton skirts; and the widow her- 
 *slf was dressed as if she ezoected visitors. It was scarcely
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 133 
 
 nine o'clock, and yet she wore a rich brown silk dress in place 
 of the usual simple stuff jacket and skirt; costly lace adorned 
 her throat and wrists, and a cap of the same dainty material 
 partly covered her silver hair. 
 
 " Can it be in honor of Flora ?" thought Kathe, with a 
 tightened feeling at her heart;, as she remembered her half-sis- 
 ter's bitter words of the night before. " Can these gay prepara- 
 tions be meant to please Flora, who, the widow imagines, musL 
 come here again to see poor Henriette?" 
 
 But the widow said nothing about it when presently she 
 came out into the porch and greeted the young girl with a 
 smile. Kathe noticed that her cheeks were flushed, her eyes 
 full of tears, and her voice trembled, but that a happy, pleased 
 expression shone in her grand, handsome face, as, in answer to 
 Kathe's inquiry of how the patient had passed the night, she 
 tenderly took her young visitor in her arms, drew her to her 
 heart, and kissed her as lovingly as a mother kisses her child, 
 and informed her that Henriette was no worse, but, if any- 
 thing, slightly better. 
 
 A few moments later Kathe entered the sick-room, blushing 
 and smiling at this unusual expression of affection on the 
 widow's part. She found the maid combing out the long fair 
 hair of the invalid, whose small thin face, sharp cheek bones, 
 with dark rings round her large eyes, looked wan and ghastly 
 in the morning light. Her voice was stronger, certainly; but 
 she was restless and fretful. 
 
 She told Kathe, with kindling eyes, how good and kind her 
 doctor had been, how he had sat up all night, how he had 
 given her medicine and refreshment with his own hands, and 
 eased her aching, burning head with his cool fingers, and how 
 k he had gone to lie down now for an hour to get a little sleep 
 before going into town to see his patients. Presently, when 
 the long hair was put in order, face and hands refreshed with 
 water, and her pillows smoothed, she begged Kathe to go back 
 to the villa and fetch a book she had promised to lend to the 
 widow to read. 
 
 " I want it at once, Kathe dear. I told her she should 
 have it she is so good to me more kind than I can tell you; 
 and Flora has it, I know it is in her room. " Then she added, 
 fretfully: " Don't let Flora or grandmamma come here. I 
 don't want them they worry me; but if Flora should come, 
 then tell her not to stay long." 
 
 She little guessed how needless was the precaution, or what 
 sad and painful consequences had followed her feverish wan- 
 derings of the evening before. Kathe could scarcely look her
 
 134 IN THE COFtfSELOK'S HOUSE. 
 
 in the face as she remembered all that had passed, and she was 
 very glad when the invalid urged her to go for the book at 
 once, and to bring back with her several things she named 
 from off the writing-table in her room. 
 
 On her road across the park Kathe could think of nothing 
 but the sad havoc twelve hours' fever and suffering had made 
 in Henrietta's usually thin, pale face. The sunken features, 
 death-like pallor, and feverish eyes of the poor little invalid 
 haunted her. Full of vague fears and anxieties as to the re- 
 sult of yesterday's accident on Henriette's delicate frame, she 
 was absently crossing the hall to mount the stairs on her ar- 
 rival at the villa, when her attention was attracted by the brill- 
 iant appearance of the breakfast-table, seen through the open 
 door of the dining-room. The glittering silver, costly china 
 and glass, and exquisite damask cloth and serviettes formed a 
 fitting center to the Oriental walls, marble floors, and exotic 
 plants of the room and winter garden beyond. On a magnifi- 
 cent carved stand at the side several bottles of rare and old 
 wines were conspicuous for their grim and dust-covered ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 She stood still for a second, fascinated by the beauty and 
 elegance of the room thus prepared with every luxury for the 
 delight and pleasure of the counselor's guests, then shuddered 
 and turned away as Henriette's death-like countenance rose up 
 before her mental vision. Slowly mounting the stairs, she 
 gathered together the few things Henriette required from her 
 room, and then wended her steps toward Mme. U rach's boudoir, 
 to pay her usual dutiful morning respects to the old lady, and 
 inform her of how her granddaughter had passed the night. 
 Hesitating for a moment on the last stair, as she recognized 
 the postman's voice in the hall, she leaned over the carved 
 balustrade, and heard one of the men-servants remark: 
 
 " Now, really, here is this packet come back again for the 
 third time! I'm sick of the thing. Our young lady must 
 think I've nothing to do but to carry it into town. She'll bo 
 sure to send it somewhere else to-day. I'm half inclined to 
 put it in the kitchen fire to have done with it. " 
 
 ;' What's in it?" asked another. 
 
 " Oh! only a lot of paper on which Fraulein Flora's scrib- 
 bled, as big as you please, something about women's rights. I 
 saw the title when I stood by her a few days ago, while she 
 wrote the fresh address. What can such as she know about " 
 
 Kathe hurried to the boudoir and knocked, but the maid 
 who opened the door told her that her mistress had a visitor 
 ie of the ladies from the court; so the young girl turned
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 135 
 
 away and retraced her steps to the hall to fetch the book from 
 Flora's sitting-room. 
 
 Her heart beat fast as she opened the door to enter. She 
 had no desire to see her half-sister. The anger and indigna- 
 tion she had felt overnight toward her for her ungenerous and 
 cruel conduct to the doctor took possession of her again, arid 
 her face flushed painfully as she said: " Good-morning " in a 
 rather-constrained tone. 
 
 Flora stood at the table in no very amiable mood, and her 
 cheeks flushed also as she returned her young half-sister's 
 greeting. 
 
 But it was not regret or shame of last night's scene that 
 caused the angry color to mount to her brow. A letter she 
 had just finished reading and flung into the waste-paper basket 
 proved that, and she hastily covered over the packet Kathe 
 had noticed in the servant's hand not five minutes ago and 
 which now lay on the table beside several other letters and 
 papers. 
 
 " You have seen Henriette, have you? She is going on all 
 right, I hear. I sent down at eight o'clock to inquire how she 
 was. What a thoughtless man Moriz is! Fancy his sending 
 me a note early this morning, which he wrote in the night, 
 saying that he wished to introduce his friends to grandmamma 
 and me before their breakfast. You have heard he ordered a 
 grand breakfast for himself and friends at ten? Just as if the 
 world would stand still if we did not see these *Aen! Grand- 
 mamma won't be pleased, I know. How do you like my 
 toilet?" 
 
 " As usual, you look lovely. " 
 
 Flora smiled. If what is said is true, that women dress 
 themselves according to the humor of the moment, then Flora 
 must have awoke this morning in a very happy frame of mind, 
 for she was dressed from head to foot in a soft shimmering 
 blue that was very becoming both to her complexion and fig- 
 ure. Even her hair was ornamented with a dainty little knot 
 of the same color. But whatever humor she had b^en in when 
 she made her toilet, the expression on her beautiful face now 
 was one of discontent and irritation. She looked thoroughly 
 bad-tempered, and her smile, in answer to Kathe's exclama- 
 tion of admiration, was forced and constrained and more 
 mechanical than voluntary. She made no reference to last 
 night's conversation. On the third finger of her left hand two 
 small diamonds flashed where the pale gold betrothal-ring had 
 formerly shone.
 
 136 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 At Kathe's request she turned to her book-shelves for the 
 desired volume. 
 
 " Surely Henriette is not allowed to read?" she asked. 
 
 " Doctor Bruck would forbid it, of course. No, the book 
 is for his aunt/' replied Kathe, quietly, as she held out her 
 hand for the volume. 
 
 Flora's mouth curled into a sneer, and her eyes flashed dis- 
 pleasure and anger at Kathe for daring to utter Dr. Bruck'? 
 name in her presence. Kathe had opened the door and was 
 leaving the room when she came face to face with her guard- 
 ian, the counselor, who looked handsomer than usual in his 
 gray morning suit, and had an excited air about him as he 
 hurried forward, exclaiming: 
 
 " There you are, Kathe! Don't go. I must first convince 
 myself that you are safe and well. " 
 
 He half pushed, half led her back into the room in a playful 
 manner, shut the door, and flinging his hat on to a chair, said: 
 
 " Now, for God's sake, tell me the truth about your hair- 
 breadth escape yesterday. Anton gave me a confused account 
 of it while I was dressing, but no one said a word to me about 
 it last night for fear it might disturb my rest, for which con- 
 sideration I am not thankful. What will be thought of me 
 and my heedless conduct? There is Henriette lying dangerous- 
 ly ill, and I giving a champagne breakfast to a lot of fellows 
 in my own house! What on earth is the truth of the affair? 
 A crowd of wretches attacked you?" 
 
 " Not us but me specially, Moriz," said Flora. " Hen- 
 riette and Kathe had to suffer simply because they were with 
 me. I am sorry I have to say it; but I must reproach you 
 with being greatly to blame for the attack. You ought to have 
 acted differently at the first sign of discontent among them. 
 Such a rabble as those workmen ought to have a firm, decided, 
 masterful hand over them. But you from the very beginning 
 dallied about your duty, and were so weak " 
 
 " Weak in giving way to you and your grandmother, if you 
 like," interrupted her brother-in-law, white with anger. 
 " You neither of you gave me any peace till I had withdrawn 
 my promise about the land and thus unnecessarily irritated 
 the hands. Bruck was right 
 
 " Spare me there!" exclaimed Flora, her face flushing with 
 rage. " If you have no other authority to mention but him, 
 then" 
 
 The counselor drew nearer his angry sister-in-law, and look- 
 ing into her flashing eyes, with 110 little astonishment ex- 
 pressed in his own, asked, earnestly:
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 137 
 
 " Flora, do you mean it? are you still so hostile toward 
 him?" 
 
 " Do you think I am such a weak-headed fool as to chang* 
 my opinions as often as one does one's dress?" she asked, bit- 
 
 ingty- 
 
 " No, not so; but isn't it rather too daring for you to defy 
 the world's" 
 
 " What is the world to me?" she broke in with a loud 
 laugh: " The world society! Will you tell me then how it 
 would be possible to make ' society ' accept your much-to-be- 
 pitied protege?" 
 
 The counselor seized her hand, and for a moment appeared 
 speechless from surprise. 
 
 " Ha! how is that possible?" he gasped rather than ex- 
 claimed. " Don't you know " 
 
 " What don't I know?" she broke in again impatiently as 
 he hesitated, and she frowned omniously and lightly stamped 
 her foot. 
 
 Before he had time to reply the door opened, and Mme. 
 Urach entered the room. She had on a violet-colored silk 
 dress, but whether or not it was the color that ill became her, 
 or yesterday's excitement had given her a bad night, whichever 
 it was she looked haggard and worn and very much distressed. 
 
 The counselor hurried toward her and respectfully kissing 
 her hand regretted he had not been able to wish her " good- 
 morning " half an hour before. He had been to her boudoir, 
 but was informed that she was engaged, and could not receive 
 *him. 
 
 " Yes, Fraulein von Berneck was with me, expressing her 
 sympathy for the sad state Henrietta is in. She was horrified 
 at hearing of the attack on Flora," the old lady replied. " We 
 shall have a trying day I expect, for all in town are astonished 
 and excited at the news, and our friends will be sure to come 
 to inquire if it is really true. " 
 
 She sunk down in the nearest easy-chair with a lassitude 
 and want of energy that was not usual with her, as she went 
 on: 
 
 " The lady-in-waiting had other reasons for her early visit. 
 I know her well; she is one of those who love to be the first to 
 .mpart startling news, not caring or stopping to consider if in 
 so doing she was betraying a court secret. Imagine, she came 
 to congratulate me privately on the good fortune which is to 
 befall our house and I hardly know 5 I ought to weep or re- 
 joice over it! Good heavens, what a dilemma it has put me 
 in! It is really shameful, too, the way our court is proving the
 
 138 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 truth of the old proverb about ingratitude, instead of giving ft 
 good example to the contrary. You know how my poor old 
 friend Bar has sacrificed himself to serve the court, and yet 
 now he is to be overlooked and ignored. He is still strong 
 and well, and yet they are pensioning him off. " 
 
 " And is that what Fraulein von Berneck came to congrata 
 Jate you about?" asked Flora, angrily. 
 
 " Of course not that, my dear," answered her grandmothei 
 with more energy. " Wonderful things are happening, Flora. 
 Who would have believed an hour ago that Doctor Bruck 
 would be appointed physician to the prince?" 
 
 " Mere court scandal and gossip! I wonder what next their 
 inventive heads will hit upon," laughed Flora. " Court phys- 
 ician indeed! And you listened to such nonsense, grand- 
 mamma, and let that old tittle-tattler congratulate you?" 
 
 " Now really it is hardly possible to believe that civilized 
 beings living close to a capital town don't read the news- 
 papers!" cried the counselor, clapping his hands together. 
 
 You don't mean to say you have no idea of what is going 
 on? and I came back a day sooner simply on that account; I 
 could not stay away for joy. The newspapers are full of the 
 
 wonderful operation Bruck performed in L the other day. 
 
 You must know the hereditary prince was at L studying 
 
 there; he was thrown from his horse, and hurt his head so 
 seriously that none of the doctors dared undertake the neces- 
 sary operation, not even Professor H himself. Then some 
 
 one suddenly remembered that Bruck had treated a similar 
 case in the late war, and to every one's astonishment brought 
 his patient successfully through the operation. So he was tele- 
 graphed for to the prince ' 
 
 " What, your Doctor Bruck, your protege?" interrupted 
 Flora, trying to laugh, but her pale lips seemed turned into 
 stone, and her whole face turned white as death. 
 
 " Certainly, my Bruck, as I am only too proud to call 
 him/' replied her brother-in-law good-naturedly, too decidedly 
 glad at the happy turn things had taken to notice Flora's 
 Biieer. Long ago he had ceased to feel any scruples of con- 
 science relative to his silence on the subject of the late miller's 
 death; he had almost ceased to think about it, for he was a 
 true son of modern days an egotist who in the choice be- 
 tween " he " or " I " never hesitated for a second to pro- 
 nounce in favor of "I," while he was glad that the clouds 
 which had lately hung heavy and dark over the young doctor's 
 career were clearing away, and that sunshine was streaming ot 
 his head again.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOS'S HOUSE. 139 
 
 4 Besides," he went on, ' a pamphlet of his is making a 
 great sensation among the faculty. It appears he has some 
 theory of his own about operations in general which he wants 
 adopted. It is by no means to be denied that Bruck has a 
 grand career open before him." 
 
 "Who would believe it!" remarked Flora in a strangely 
 subdued tone. Doubt and mistrust visible in every feature, 
 she looked for a moment like a gambler risking his last hope 
 on the card he was playing. " You don't convince me, Moriz, 
 with all that nonsense; either there is some mistake in the 
 name, or the whole story is a trumped-up affair. " 
 
 As his sister-in-law uttered these bitter words the counselor 
 forgot his usual courteous manner before ladies, and not only 
 stamped his foot in a passion but turned on his heel and 
 walked away. 
 
 Meanwhile Mme. Urach was anxiously watching her grand- 
 daughter's countenance. She could thoroughly understand 
 how bitterly she must regret having despised and slandered a 
 man who had proved himself worthy of honor and respect. It 
 was certainly a sad defeat for the proud woman, but the well- 
 experienced worldly dame tried to make the best of it for her 
 grandchild. 
 
 " It's of no use disbelieving the affair, Flora," she said. ** In 
 the end you will be forced to accept it as a fact. I, for my 
 part wonderful as it all seems don't doubt it for a moment 
 
 The Duke of D is the young prince's uncle. I don't won- 
 
 'der that he is thankful and happy at his nephew's escape. 
 Yesterday evening I saw the grand Darmstadt decoration lying 
 on Doctor Bruck's table." 
 
 " And you tell me that now, grandmamma? now for the 
 first time?" cried Flora, as if mad. "Oh! why didn't you 
 speak of it last night? why did you keep silence about it so 
 long?" 
 
 Keep silence?" repeated the old lady, angrily shaking her 
 head with a nervous movement not unusual with ladies of her 
 age. ' You impertinent girl ! I should like to know what 
 else kept me from mentioning the fact, except that for months 
 past we have hardly dared mention Bruck's name in your pres- 
 ence without a scene. I have avoided as much as possible " 
 
 " If my conduct had your sanction, chere grandmere " 
 
 " I avoided this mention of his name because it always up- 
 sets me to witness outbursts of feeling. You have been his 
 bitterest opponent, have judged and condemned him more 
 severely than his enemies, and the slightest attempt to exoner- 
 ate him always puts y.ou in a passion. Moriz and Henrietta
 
 140 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE, 
 
 could tell a tale about that, and haven't you even how showed! 
 the scoffing way you take with Moriz whenever he tries to 
 screen the young man? How have you just received the good 
 news of his advancement?" 
 
 The old lady must have been terribly put out to refer in this 
 open manner to Flora's disgraceful behavior to her lover dur- 
 ing the past few months. It was so contrary to her usual 
 habit of silence as regards her family's faults before others 
 that the haughty girl was dumb from astonishment. Standing 
 by the window with her back to her grandmother, the quick 
 heaving of her bosom showed how she was struggling with 
 herself to keep her feelings within bounds. 
 
 " Tell me when I ought to have imparted to you my discov- 
 ery of the order?" the old lady went on presently. " Yester- 
 day evening, before my guests, when you barely remained half 
 an hour in the drawing-room, though you knew I wished you 
 to help me to entertain them? or in the doctor's house earlier 
 in the afternoon, where I did not see you for a moment alone, 
 and where you sat in your corner looking the picture of dis- 
 gust at your lover's poor surroundings?" 
 
 " You will be kind enough to remember, dear grandmamma, 
 that that troubled you as well as me; the same thing concerns 
 us both, as you know very well. " 
 
 ' ' My dear, it is of no use talking to you, you turn and twist 
 everything to please yourself, and you have very little respect 
 for truth where a falsehood suits your purpose," retorted the 
 old lady with an impatient movement of her hand which scat- 
 tered several papers lying on the table. Endeavoring to gather 
 them together, her eye lighted on the packet returned to Flora 
 by the postman. 
 
 "Ah! has that article found its way back again after its 
 zigzag journeyings hither and thither?" she exclaimed, point- 
 ing to the packet. " I should have thought you would have 
 left it in peace in the waste-basket long ago. This continual 
 Bending to and fro, and the refusal of the publishers to accept 
 the work, would be unbearable to me. "What a storm there 
 would be if one of us were to venture to protest against your 
 possessing talent and power enough to write, and yet every 
 month or so you allow it to be told you by ' 
 
 " Don't excite yourself, dear grandmamma! You can make 
 a mistake like other people, sometimes," interrupted Flora 
 with a speaking glance at Kathe, who had been forced into 
 hearing similar statements made the evening before. ' You 
 are not yourself this morning, you are upset at the thought of 
 losing your influential friend at court. 1 pity you, dear grand-
 
 IN THE COUNSELORS HOUSE. 141 
 
 mamma, because I don't think Doctor Bruck will come to be 
 an intermedium between you and the royal family; not even 
 for love of me would he retail scandal. But sorry as I am for 
 you, I don't see why I need be sacrificed to please any one, so 
 I shall take myself off till you are in a better frame of mind.'" 
 
 And gathering her papers together, she swept across the 
 floor and vanished behind the door of her dressing-room. 
 
 " She is a very peculiar girl," said the old lady, with a sigh. 
 " She doesn't take after her mother, who was softness and 
 sweetness itself. Her father spoiled her by allowing her to 
 head his table when she was quite a young girl, almost a child. 
 I told him several times he was doing her harm, but one might 
 as well have spoken to the wind. You know, Moriz, how ob- 
 stinate he could be when once he had taken an idea into his 
 head/' 
 
 Kathe moved toward the door to leave the room, for it 
 pained her to hear her dead father reproached for^ Flora's 
 faults, however much those faults might have been encouraged 
 by his own mode of bringing her up, and reproached, too, by 
 his mother-in-law, whose presence in his house he had good 
 reasons for refusing. 
 
 " You are so pale, Kathe, and look so wan and tired, I 
 think you must be suffering from yesterday's excitement. 
 Poor little one!" said her guardian, following her and taking 
 her hand as he glanced kindly in her face. 
 
 " I have noticed her change color at a mere nothing for sev- 
 eral days past, and she is so serious too," remarked Mme. 
 Urach, quickly, before the young girl had time to speak. 
 " I know what ails her; she is homesick, and no wonder, too; 
 she is accustomed to the quiet, regular life of a simple family 
 where she is made much of, and where, of course, every wish 
 and whim of the rich pupil becomes law. It is quite impossi- 
 ble for us to indulge her to the same extent; our household is 
 on a different scale, we live in the world, and I have no doubt 
 that she feels the constant society around her here is too much 
 and too exciting; am I right, dear child?" she asked, stroking 
 the girl's cheek softly. 
 
 " I am sorry to contradict you, madame but I must say 
 no," answered Kathe, in her ringing young voice, drawing 
 back her head as if she objected to the caress. " I was not 
 made much of, nor were my whims and fancies regarded as 
 law in the house of my dear kind governess. I was brought 
 up very strictly, I can assure you and since I have been rich " 
 and she laughed with a mischievous twinkle in her eye " I 
 think my faults have not been ocutloned so easily as they used
 
 142 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 to be. And I am not so unaccustomed to society as you im- 
 agine, madame. Our rooms are so small in Dresden, we can 
 not have many whist-tables but we had charming evenings 
 without cards, when the professors of the academy and other 
 friends would enliven us with their delightful conversation: 
 or when some celebrated musician would come to us, and be 
 compelled to play on my poor worn-out piano. " Her lips 
 quivered with suppressed merriment, but there was a decided 
 shade of sarcasm discernible in the tones of her voice, as shb 
 drew up her figure and looked straight at Mme. Urach. 
 " There is one thing I am thankful for," she went on, " and 
 that is, that I was taught not to think of myself when an- 
 other's comfort and happiness were at stake. Don't be 
 shocked, Moriz!" she added, facing round fearlessly on her 
 guardian. " Let me stay on here some time longer, will you, 
 for Henriette's sake?" 
 
 " Bless me I have no other desire or wish than that you 
 should remain," he replied so fervently that Kathe was aston- 
 ished. 
 
 Mme. Urach was standing by the table turning over the 
 leaves of a book, apparently more interested in what she saw 
 there than in the young girl's remarks. 
 
 " Of course you shall stay here as long as you like, my dear, 
 but we must not let you sacrifice yourself to your affection. 
 Kanni takes all possible care of Henriette she is accustomed 
 to her delicate state, too besides, there is my maid to assist 
 her, if needful. You can go home, dear child, and be at ease 
 about Henriette; she will be well attended to." 
 
 " Let the motive be what it may, grandmother, it is enough 
 that Kathe wishes to remain with us," remarked the coun- 
 selor, quickly, still looking earnestly at the bright young girl 
 at his side, as he added: "Besides, I was so sure you were 
 going to stay some time among us, Kathe, that I ordered your 
 new pianoforte ha! and a splendid instrument it is too- 
 worth twenty such gimcracks as that one in the drawing-room, 
 and I ordered it to be sent here direct." 
 
 " But, Moriz, how could you?" cried the girl, in a startled 
 voice. " Dresden is and always will be my home it ought to 
 have gone there I only visit here, you know;" then laugh- 
 ing, she added, merrily: " Am I to carry a grand piano about 
 with me as part of my luggage?" 
 
 " I fancy you will think differently in reference to Dresden 
 some day," he replied, with a slight, expressive smile. " Any 
 way, the instrument arrives to-morrow, and will be placed in 
 your room for the present."
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 143 
 
 Mme. TJrach closed the book in her hand with a sharp snap, 
 but she spoke in her usual indifferent manner. 
 
 " You are making arrangements, Moriz, which will upset 
 several plans of mine, though of course that won't matter very 
 much. But I shall be obliged to write to Baroness von Steiner 
 to-day, and postpone her intended visit. " 
 
 "I don't see why." 
 
 " The room Kathe occupies now was intended for her com 
 panion. You know she never goes anywhere without her. " 
 
 The counselor shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " I am very sorry, but naturally Kathe, my ward, remains 
 where she is." 
 
 Opposition from him! He dared to look her coolly in the 
 face, and announce that Baroness von Steiner must yield to 
 Kathe he who formerly moved heaven and earth and consid- 
 ered nothing a sacrifice to obtain guests of rank and position 
 to visit at his house! 
 
 The old lady bit her lip and raised her brows. 
 
 " I will write at once to my friend," she said, " and explain 
 the unfortunate position I am in. I regret it, I must say, be- 
 cause, of course, I could not foresee what would happen. " 
 
 She rose, gathered her skirts together, and was leaving the 
 .room when Kathe sprung forward and detained her. 
 
 " No, no, madame, you must not do it. You can't be in 
 earnest, Moriz," she said, turning to her guardian. " You 
 can't really mean to make madame's guests give way to a 
 young girl like me? It must not be. Besides, haven't I a 
 house of my own? I will take up my quarters at the Mill- 
 house as soon as Baroness von Steiner arrives. " 
 
 " That I can't allow, my dear Kathe; indeed I can't," re- 
 plied the old lady, severely. The proud haughtiness of her 
 nature flashed in her eyes as she went on: "I am not a very 
 severe person your mother never had any reason to complain 
 of unfriendliness on . my side but the intimate relations that 
 would ensue between tha Mill-house and the villa I could not 
 tolerate the running to and fro would vex me to death; be- 
 sides, I would not have such a thing known to my friend for 
 anything; she would be simply horrified. Moriz, you will fimd 
 me in the blue drawing-room when you wish to introduce your 
 friends. " And with a slight inclination of the head, she left 
 the room. 
 
 The counselor waited till the rustling of her silk skirts had 
 ceased in the distance and the door of her boudoir was sharply 
 closed ere he turned to Kathe and with a light laugh re- 
 marked:
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 have had quite a lecture! The old lady lets ]ier claws 
 be> ftilt in spite of her soft velvet paws doesn't she? But she 
 Tvoi\'t be able to do it much longer. Poor old dame, she has 
 had a heavy blow, and feels it, but she is harmless now. With 
 her old friend Bar's retirement from court, her influence there 
 and in society is at an end." He rubbed his hands with de- 
 light. " Don't you yield an inch to her, Kathe, dear; you have 
 more right in my house than any one else remember that!" 
 
 A servant entered as he was speaking, and announced that 
 his friends awaited him in the drawing-room. Snatching up 
 his hat he offered Kathe his arm, but she slipped past him and 
 went out into the hall. 
 
 Her guardian's manner and tone toward herself did not 
 please her at all, neither did she admire him for laughing at 
 the old lady as soon as her back was turned, when in her pres- 
 ence he was almost subserviently respectful. The young girl 
 felt uncomfortable, and it was with a sigh of intense relief 
 that she turned her back on the red-curtained room, and wend- 
 ed her way through the fresh sweet morning air to the house 
 by the river. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WHEN Kathe returned to the doctor's house, she found the 
 sick-room furnished with the same simple furniture it had had 
 when Henriette was first carried in there and laid on the bed. 
 
 Dr. Brnck had yielded to the sick girl's passionate desire to 
 have the things from the villa removed out of her sight, so 
 they were piled together and placed in a corner of the wide 
 hall. The green damask fauteuil, elegant fire-screen, and 
 costly carpet even the gold-bordered washing apparatus had 
 been banished from the room, and the simple stone-ware old- 
 fashioned screen and chintz-covered arm-chair put back in 
 their places. The tiny fountain freshened the air with water 
 supplied from a red earthen basin, and on a table by the bed- 
 side stood Henriette's canary cage, which had been fetched 
 from the villa at her express wish. Her favorite bird flew 
 in and out of the cage door as unconcernedly as if he had been 
 at home, hopped over the bed, picked bits of sugar from the 
 little invalid's weak fingers, and perched on the curtain-rings 
 over the windows, to the delight and amusement of his mis- 
 tress. 
 
 At noon the maid had been dispatched to the villa to take a 
 few hours' rest, the widow undertaking to watch over her in- 
 valid guest for the rest of the day. She still wore the rich
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 145 
 
 brown silk dress and dainty lace; but to avoid the rustling of 
 her skirt against the furniture, she had covered it with a large 
 linen apron, fastened around her waist. 
 
 When Kathe reached Henriette's bedside, she found that 
 her half-sister was already aware of the happy change in the 
 young doctor's prospects. It appears that Nanni had seen one 
 of the gentlemen of the court arrive in the hall soon after 
 Kathe's departure for the villa; had seen him greet the widow 
 with a warmth and respect that raised the curiosity of the serv- 
 ing-woman, who had immediately gone to her young mistress 
 and told her of the unusual and early visit, and that the gen- 
 tleman was talking with the doctor and his aunt in their sit- 
 ting-room. As soon as the visitor had driven off in his car- 
 riage, Henriette's impatience and curiosity got the better of 
 her; she sent for Dr. Bruck, and questioned and cross-ques- 
 tioned him about his noble visitor, till he had satisfied her by 
 telling her the whole history of the successful operation, and 
 its happy results. 
 
 " They expected the visit this morning, so that is why the 
 dear, dear old lady is dressed in her best, Kathe; doesn't she 
 .look nice?" asked Henrietta, later in the afternoon, when the 
 two girls were alone. 
 
 The doctor had gone to the palace to have an interview with 
 the prince, and his aunt was busy in some household duty in 
 her own room. The invalid was propped up in bed, her pale 
 wan face radiant with heartfelt joy and happiness. She had 
 been forbidden to speak, for the cry of delight she had uttered, 
 when earlier in the day the doctor had informed her of his 
 good-fortune, had exhausted her so completely that he had 
 feared a return of yesterday's hemorrhage. For hours she had 
 been obedient, had hardly opened her lips, and had refrained 
 from asking either him or his aunt a single question relative to 
 the subject uppermost in her mind; but now that she was 
 alone with Kathe, and the widow's warning finger was no 
 longer there to stop the words which rose to her lips, she 
 started up in bed, and after telling Kathe all she knew, and 
 before Kathe had time to answer her question about the widow, 
 she "became suddenly very excited, and said : 
 
 " Where is Flora?" 
 
 " You know your grandmamma has sent over several times 
 to say that she has such a constant succession of visitors, she 
 can't escape away just yet, though she is longing to come and 
 see you, dear." 
 
 " Grandmamma, indeed!" exclaimed Henriette, impatiently 
 jerking herself on her pillows. " Who wants her? Let her
 
 146 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE, 
 
 remain where she is. I spoke of Flora. " Then, clasping her 
 hands together and leaning toward her sister, she added: 
 " Isn't that a splendid justification for him, Kathe! How I 
 thank God I have lived to see and know it! How I hope he 
 won't go to the villa on his return from the palace. I must 
 see him and Flora meet for the first time aiter this grand news 
 I must. I do so long to see her humiliate herself before 
 himI " 
 
 " Henriette, don't talk so much; you will excite yourself," 
 Kathe entreated. 
 
 " Let me alone; I will talk," she went on, angrily. " It 
 the doctor knew what suffering he inflicts on me by obliging 
 me to hold my tongue, he would let me talk." Then, lean- 
 ing on her elbow, and passing her hand through her thick, fair 
 hair, she asked : " Do you remember, Kathe, how Flora sneered 
 at the doctor when he returned from that journey lately and 
 told him to his face he had only been amusing himself for the 
 few days he was absent?" Her eyes grew excited and feverish, 
 and had the same wild expression in them as in her delirium 
 of the evening before. 
 
 Kathe tried to soothe and quiet her, but it was of no use. 
 
 " Don't you remember, too, how angry she was with Moriz 
 because he suggested Doctor Bruck had gone to see a patient? 
 No, no; if she were to beg on her knees for forgiveness, it 
 could not atone for her malice and wickedness to that man ! 
 Her conduct has been shameful shameful! I would give 
 anything to be able to see into her heart just now! \\hat 
 humiliation for her! She deserves it, doesn't she? I should 
 think she won't be able to look us in the face when next we 
 meet or him either. Do you think she will? When will she 
 come here?" 
 
 Kathe was silent by the bedside, as silent and still as if she 
 had been the culprit. Her angry and indignant invalid sister 
 had no idea that Flora's feet were not likely to pass the thresh- 
 old of the doctor's house again; neither did she know that 
 Flora had herself snapped the last link of the chain which 
 bound her to her lover, by throwing the simple gold hoop 
 which formed her engagement-ring into the foaming waves 
 under the bridge. And who was to tell her this? Who was 
 to let her know the sad consequences of her last night's half- 
 delirious ravings? 
 
 " Why don't you speak, Kathe?" Henriette grumbled. 
 " Have you cold blood in your veins, that you are so little in- 
 terested in this affair? Of course, you don't know us very well 
 jet; and you can't be expected to feel as deeply about the affair
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSB. 147 
 
 ss I do. You have seen the doctor so seldom, and have hardly 
 spoken ten words to him; so I suppose he does not interest 
 you. But you have seen Flora's detestable behavior, have 
 heard the heartless way she has spoken to and of her lover; 
 and surely you must be glad that she is punished that justice 
 is being meted out to her?" 
 
 Kathe looked up, and her flashing eyes and the rush of blocx* 
 to her cheeks and brow, dying even the snow-white throat, 
 were proof positive that the blood within her was warm ana 
 passionate. 
 
 " And if her punishment is carried out to the full, and 
 Flora has to acknowledge her falseness and heartlessness, what 
 then? What good will that do to the injured man?" she 
 asked, in a low, constrained tone. ' ' Flora has expressed aver- 
 sion and dislike to the doctor, you say. Well, his being raised 
 to a position at court can't possibly make her love for him re- 
 turn." 
 
 " Certainly, without doubt it will. Flora has such a pitiful 
 ambitious disposition," replied the invalid, in a bitter, con- 
 templative tone. " And he? You will see that the very first 
 attempt she makes at reconciliation, he will forget the past as 
 if it had never happened." 
 
 She shut her eyes and shook her head for a moment ere add- 
 ing, in a whisper: " If only love were not such an unfathom- 
 able enigma! He loves her as much as ever. How else can 
 one account for his strange toleration of all her willful, wicked 
 caprices? If Satan himself looked out through her beautiful 
 face, and her hands were raised to strike him, he would still 
 love her, and take her hands and tenderly caress them. " 
 
 After awhile she half hid her pale face on the pillows the 
 bitter smiles playing round the corners of her colorless, drawn 
 lips were painful to see and said, in a distinct voice: 
 
 " If she offers reconciliation, he will accept it with joy, and 
 be as happy as he was some months ago; so the best thing f or- 
 al 1 of us to do is to ignore her late bad behavior, and never 
 allow it to be referred to again among us." 
 
 Kathe did not reply. No answer seemed to be expected 
 from her by the invalid, who was impatiently awaiting the mo- 
 mentary return of the young doctor, whose happiness she was 
 so anxious to see secured. What if Flora did not come, and it 
 was at last necessary to tell her that the faithless bride had, by 
 one rash act, put a summary ending to the long torment she 
 had been lately inflicting on her devoted lover? " Then you 
 will cease to mention never come near our house, " Henrietta
 
 148 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 liact moaned ont in delirium the evening before to the young 
 doctor. 
 
 Sitting there by the bedside, Kathe had time to revolve in 
 her mind all she had seen and heard about this unhappy en- 
 gagement: the strange conduct of the bride-elect, her chilling 
 neglect and openly expressed contempt for her lover, ending 
 with the scene of the evening before, when she had earnestly 
 entreated to be allowed to withdraw from her engagement 
 and be a free woman. 
 
 Now that was all changed. She was to be forgiven for her 
 past neglect, and thanked for a reconciliation, which, if she 
 sought at all, would be merely to gratify her ambition, and 
 not for the sake of the peace and happiness she had it in her 
 power to bestow. And he would he take her back to his 
 heart on such terms? Certainly he would; for had he not re- 
 fused to give her up, even though she had said that she hated 
 him? In her heart Kathie felt angry with the doctor for being 
 so weak where his love was concerned. Why could he not have 
 more pride than to allow himself to be treated in such a way? 
 
 For a moment she felt as if she could weep for his folly; but 
 the next she had swallowed the indignant tears ere they rose 
 to her eyes, angry with herself for indulging in such a feeling 
 at all. What could it matter to her what he did? She had no 
 right or business to think about it, whichever way it turned; 
 and if the wedding really did take place at Whitsuntide, the 
 sooner she set about embroidering the sofa-cushion she intend- 
 ed as a bridal present, the better. 
 
 Her thoughts were broken in upon by the widow's entrance 
 with a branch of syringa in her hand, which she laid on the 
 sheets and smilingly told Henriette was a greeting for her 
 from the bright spring morning outside. Then, taking up her 
 knitting, and going round to where Kathe sat, she said, gently: 
 
 " You look pale, my love. Go into the garden for awhile 
 and breathe the fresh sweet air it will do you good for an 
 hour. Yesterday's excitement has driven the color from your 
 cheeks, and that won't do. Young faces were meant to be 
 rosy and bright. " 
 
 Nothing loath, the young girl obeyed the kindly meant 
 order, put on her hat and went out into the garden. The 
 widow was right, the fresh air and sunshine did her good, she 
 breathed more freely, and the tight pressure on her bosom felt 
 relieved by the time she had reached the quaint old bridge. 
 But she did not cross it. She stood still for awhile, gazing at 
 the beauty of the scene around. From the beautiful blue 
 heavens overhead her eves wandered to the glistening water.,
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 14& 
 
 at her feet, the fresh green grass beyond, the budding trees 
 near at hand. On one side the dark, somber forest, on the 
 other meadows and fields, with the roofs and windows of a dis- 
 tant village gleaming in the merry sunlight. 
 
 Then her attention was attracted by the twittering of birds 
 around the wooden loft near the house, and she saw the first 
 wallows of the year flying in and out of the openings, evident- 
 /y infent on building their nests. Many a time, as a child, 
 had she lain on the grass by the river, and watched the com- 
 ing and going of these spring birds: but then the house was 
 deserted and shut up, and a human being rarely disturbed the 
 quiet and loneliness of the place by his presence. Now the 
 old house was inhabited, smoke issued from its chimneys, win- 
 dows and doors were open, life, with its accompanying pas- 
 sions and interests, sorrows and joys, had taken possession of 
 the place, and all seemed changed; even the girl herself, who 
 was standing by the bridge, was no longer the child she had 
 been seven years ago. For the first time it struck her that the 
 place which had always strangely fascinated her ever since she 
 could remember, had for a few short weeks belonged to her, as 
 "her grandfather's heiress. The sum which the doctor had 
 given for it belonged to her, and was lying side by side with 
 other rolls of precious papers in the new iron safe her guardian 
 had told her contained her immense fortune. Why this thought 
 brought the blood to her cheeks and made her heart beat she 
 could not tell, but so it was. She did not stop to examine the 
 hen-coop, which she now observed for the first time in a corner 
 near the loft, but wandered on through the orchard till she 
 came round to the other side of the house and reached the 
 hawthorn hedge which formed the boundary of the little prop- 
 erty. Here she noticed several bits of shining glass lying 
 about, and all at once it flashed through her mind that they 
 were the remains of the crystal glass she had drank from the 
 evening before, when the doctor ordered her to take the sooth- 
 ing draught. Burning tears rushed to her eyes as the re- 
 membrance of that scene came back to her. She blamed her- 
 self bitterly for letting her fears and anxieties run away with 
 her judgment, and the longer she thought over it the more 
 angry she felt with herself for imagining for one second that 
 the doctor was capable of the weakness she in her foolishness 
 had imputed to him. She felt sure he would not be able to 
 vorget it, and that, for a time at least, he would avoid her, and 
 cease to smile if she were unavoidably thrown into his society. 
 
 Heuriette would soon be able to return to the villa, and tho 
 intercourse between the great house and the house by the river
 
 150 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 would be ended. For after all that had happened last even- 
 ing however much the doctor might insist upon his rights 
 surely if Flora did not advance upon the hoped-for reconcilia- 
 tion by a visit to her sick sister, he would have to acknowledge 
 that his engagement with her was annuled. Or would he do 
 as Henriette feared, and visit the villa on his return from the 
 palace, to inform his haughty lady-love of the golden change 
 >n his prospects? 
 
 Such thoughts as these were passing through her mind as 
 she wended her way by the river, when she heard a loud noise 
 in the vicinity of the loft, which caused her to retrace her steps 
 to see what it was all about. In the inclosure around the loft 
 the watch-dog had broken loose and was wildly careering after 
 the screaming hens. As soon as she could, Kathe caught at 
 his chain. Laughing heartily at the scattered hens, and the 
 noise and confusion among them, she dragged the dog back to 
 his kennel. But he, as soon as he discovered that he was to 
 be refastened to the post, tried to release himself from her 
 grasp by pulling at the chain, crouching down and refusing 
 to move; and finally, when he found that such resistance was 
 of no use, by barking and showing his teeth in angry defiance. 
 He was a good-sized animal of savage nature and sinewy build, 
 and might have attacked Kathe in his anger if she had not 
 had the presence of mind to seize him with her arm round his 
 neck, while with her free hand she slipped the chain quickly 
 over the strong hook on the post, and then sprung nimbly back 
 out of his way and beyond his reach, but not before the en- 
 raged animal had snapped at her dress and torn a portion of it 
 to ribbons. 
 
 "Brute! lie still!" she commanded, and took up her skirt 
 to see the extent of the damage done by his white, glistening 
 teeth. 
 
 Presently she heard rapid steps crossing the rustic bridge. 
 She knew it was the doctor without turning her head. She 
 hoped he did not observe her, and that he would go straight 
 on into the house, for if he had been to the villa on his return 
 from the palace, he would naturally prefer to be alone, per- 
 haps even be in such a thoughtful humor that he would not 
 notice her at all. 
 
 He did not enter the house, but turned oft to the left, and 
 came direct toward her, and as soon as he reached the hen- 
 yard held up his stick threateningly over the growling, angry 
 dog's head, and obliged him to retire into his kennel and lie 
 down. After which he fastened the chain more securely to the 
 post as he observed:
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 151 
 
 " I must Lave the brute removed from this; he is so savage 
 tnd disobedient. He does as much harm by frightening 
 peaceable people as he does good by keeping off trespassers. 
 You managed to make him obey you this time, but I think 
 you are so conscious of 3 our own strength that you are a little 
 rash where other girls would be timid ; don't you think so your- 
 self?". 
 
 He spoke earnestly, almost as if he wished to reprove her 
 for what she had just done. 
 
 " Oh, I have my moments of fear and timidity just like 
 other girls," she replied, frankly. " As a rule I am terribly 
 afraid of strange dogs, and get out of their way quickly 
 enough; but at a critical moment inborn weakness must not 
 be allowed to sway one's actions, so I press my teeth firmly 
 together and go to work; perhaps it is that which makes you 
 think me rash. " 
 
 The doctor was not looking at her as she spoke, but watch- 
 ing the flight of a swallow over his head, nevertheless he 
 smiled, and Kathe fancied it was a smile of doubt and dis- 
 belief. 
 
 "You doubt what I say, do you?" she asked, half in ear- 
 nest, half in fun. ' ' Do you know that it is not so very long 
 since I was afraid to move about in the dark. " Her eyes 
 gleamed with malicious delight, and the dimples in her cheeks 
 deepened as she went on: "I suppose you can imagine that 
 in such an old place as the Mill-house hobgoblins and ghosts 
 abounded in every corner and cranny; that lordly ancestors 
 occasionally stepped down from their frames on the walls and 
 walked about distributing corn, and that the ghosts of millers, 
 who once upon a time kept back grain that should have been 
 sold, were wont to roam through the scenes of their former 
 existence. Of course I heard all these things, and I believed 
 in them as firmly as if I had been brought up in a Thuringian 
 hut. But as neither papa nor Fraulein Lucas shared in my 
 belief, and if they had found out I was afraid would have 
 scolded Susanne for repeating the legends to me, there was 
 nothing for it but to cure myself of my fear. I was ashamed 
 of it too; so whenever anything was wanted I ground my teeth 
 together, and without a second's hesitation went upstairs in 
 the pitch dark to fetch it." 
 
 " How is it that if you are accustomed to school your own 
 feelings so well, and keep them under control, you were so 
 easily persuaded into believing a man capable of a weak and 
 cowardly act?"
 
 152 DC THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 A burning blush spread over her face as he spoke, but she 
 drew back her head and said, quietly, though in a somewhat 
 haughty tone: 
 
 " You pardoned my thoughtlessness yesterday." 
 
 He shook his head deprecatingly. 
 
 " There was nothing in my remark to make you doubt that 
 I meant what I said last night, when I assured you you had 
 not offended me," he replied, involuntarily lowering his rich, 
 musical voice, as if he did not intend the world to hear of this 
 episode between himself and the young girl at his side. " I 
 merely meant I should like very much to know the foundation 
 for your momentary suspicion of me." 
 
 Kathe did not answer at once; her eyes had resumed their 
 usual bright, downy expression, a smile hovered on her lips, 
 and the small childish face looked almost too young for the 
 full- rounded womanly figure, as in a demure voice, and point- 
 ing to the corner window, she began: 
 
 " Once upon a time a lovely noble lady lived in that " 
 
 " What, that romantic history that all the old women relate 
 over their spinning-wheels! The tragic fate of the lovely lady 
 caused you to imagine " 
 
 " No, not entirely. Honriette made me anxious, and " 
 
 " Henriette is ill; constant suffering has shaken her nerves 
 and made her morbid. But you are strong and healthy. " 
 
 " I know I am, but there are things which youth and inex- 
 perience naturally prevent one from being able to judge by 
 common rules 
 
 " As for instance love/' he interrupted with a sudden shy 
 glance at the girl. 
 
 " Yes," she said, simply. 
 
 He stooped his tall head, and began mechanically driving 
 his stick against a square slab of sandstone which stood in the 
 center of the grassy plot opposite the porch. When Kathe 
 was a child, she had been wont to use this stone as a table on 
 which to place her playthings and the fruit she gathered in her 
 rambles over the old garden in fact, she had imagined that it 
 had been put there expressly for her amusement; now, how- 
 ever, she recognized the slab as the remains of a pedestal on 
 which a female statue had formerly stood. A portion of a 
 small foot still remained attached to the sandstone. Present- 
 ly, as the doctor was silent, she said : 
 
 " That's the pedestal on which either a nymph or one of the 
 muses stood in by-gone times. I can fancy the beautiful figure 
 she must have had from this little foot. Perhaps she had her 
 "lead slightly turned toward the river, half facing the old
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 153 
 
 bridge, so that she could watch the knight riding across, and 
 see also the pround young chatelaine of the castle in her bro- 
 caded train " She checked herself suddenly, for on looking 
 up into the young doctor's face she noticed that he was not 
 heeding her remarks, but evidently absorbed in his own 
 thoughts, which from the expression of his countenance were 
 sad and sorrowful. 
 
 The sudden silence of the young girl roused him out of his 
 reverie. 
 
 "Yes/' he said, shaking himself together. ' ' Those wretched 
 people who stayed here once for awhile took a delight in de- 
 stroying the statues. The garden was full of sandstone figures 
 at one time; there are several pedestals and disfigured statues 
 lying about the outhouses; I'll have them hunted out and 
 renovated. In spite of its wild and overgrown state, I think 
 that the original plan of the garden can still be traced, and I 
 will have it restored/' 
 
 " I dare say it will be very pretty and tidy, but don't you 
 think the charm of this overgrown corner will be lost if you 
 have it, as you say, restored? The peep from your study win- 
 dow " 
 
 " My study will be occupied by a friend of my aunt's next 
 winter," he interrupted, calmly. " In October I settle down 
 in Leipsic. " 
 
 Kathe stared at him like a startled fawn; clasping her 
 hands, she repeated: 
 
 " In Leipsic? You mean to be separated then? What 
 does she say?" 
 
 " Flora? She goes with me, of course," he answered, cold- 
 ly, his eyes flashing pain and anger combined. " Do you im- 
 agine I would leave her behind me? You may be at rest on 
 that point then. " 
 
 Kathe had alluded to his aunt when she spoke, in reference 
 to his journey to Leipsic, and not to Flora, but she was too 
 shy to rectify the mistake, when he had that stern, forbidding 
 look on his face. 
 
 Presently she asked, timidly, while her cheeks flushed with 
 anxiety : 
 
 " You have just come from the villa?" 
 
 " No, I have not been to the villa," he replied, in a tone 
 which appeared to Kathe to have a sarcastic ring in it. " And 
 as yet I have not been fortunate enough to see any of the 
 family; I should have liked to have a word with Moriz, but 
 just as I was passing the house his friends were laughing and
 
 154 IN THE COTJKSltLOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 talking and saying good-bye, sc I preferred walking on unno- 
 ticed." 
 
 Then he had not had an interview with Flora, and yet he 
 was thoughtful and absent. 
 
 "It is very strange," Kathe said to herself, beginning to 
 feel very uncomfortable and to wish herself anywhere away out 
 of the young man's presence. Fortunately for her, jupt at 
 this moment the hens began carelessly picking up the grains 
 near the enemy, the dog, who sprung forward, barking furious- 
 ly. Kathe went over to him and dextrously managed to drive 
 him into his kennel, when she shut to the door and drew the 
 bolt, and thus kept him quiet for the time being. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WHEN Kathe turned round from shutting up the watch-dog, 
 she noticed the young doctor's face was white as ashes, and 
 that he was staring in the direction of the bridge. His stern 
 attitude, compressed lips, and contracted brows reminded her 
 of the moment when she had asked him to inform her of the 
 cause of her grandfather's death. Involuntarily following the 
 glance of his eyes, she could not be more startled if she had 
 seen the figure of the drowned noble lady advancing toward 
 her, as she was to recognize Flora's graceful person walking 
 across the bridge with the calm, unembarrassed manner of one 
 who has nothing to fear, and knows she will be welcome, come 
 when she may. 
 
 Kathe could scarcely believe her eyesight, as she watched 
 her beautiful sister quietly gliding past the spot where the 
 night before she had passionately declared herself a free woman, 
 after throwing her betrothal-ring under the seething wave. 
 Not twenty hours had elapsed since she had openly declared 
 that her lover had deceived her, and that nothing should ever 
 induce her to cross the threshold of his house again. Yet 
 there she was, smiling and happy looking, and with light eager 
 steps advancing over the pathway direct to the door of his 
 house, and no wave curled its white summit, or gust of wind 
 blew around her whispering of heartlessness, cruelty, and fickle- 
 ness to the man she was going there to meet. 
 
 She was darkly dressed, with a rich black lace veil over her 
 beautiful golden hair, round her throat, and hanging down 
 from her shoulders like the wings of the angel of night. The 
 counselor followed behind with Mme. Urach leaning on his 
 arm, to whom his manner was so respectful and so gentle that 
 Kathe woadereo. if slie had beeu dreaming in the morning
 
 IN *THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 155 
 
 when he had spoken slightingly of her, or was awake now, and 
 in full possession of her senses. 
 
 When the little party reached his side of the bridge, the doc- 
 tor slowly advanced to meet them, and to Kathe's intense sur- 
 prise greeted them as usual. Nothing was said, nothing was 
 done that was not quite usual and natural. The counselor 
 threw his arms round the young doctor, and spoke a few word* 
 of warm congratulation. Mme. TTrach was bland and amia- 
 ble, her lips parted over her sharp glistening teeth in a smile, 
 as she held out her hand; and Flora? For a moment her 
 cheeks assumed a brighter color than usual, and her eyes wan- 
 dered from her lower to the gravel pathway at her feet; then 
 she held out her hand also, and her fingers were clasped in the 
 same cool, friendly manner that had half pained and half as- 
 tonished Kathe the first time she saw the two meet in the win- 
 ter garden, and when Dr. Bruck turned her away again, his 
 face had lost its sternness and the color had returned to his 
 cheeks. 
 
 Before they reached the garden Kathe had observed Flora 
 give her a quick searching glance from head to foot, and then 
 turn her head and make some laughing remark to the coun- 
 selor over her shoulder; but now, as she drew nearer, the 
 young girl could read suppressed anger and animosity shining 
 in the lovely eyes, as she said, raising her voice: 
 
 " Well, Kathe? You seem to have made yourself quite at 
 home here. You look as if you had the care of the keys, and 
 had them hanging at your side this moment. ' ' 
 
 The young girl made no reply, she merely removed her 
 hand from the gate of the yard, and quietly looked Flora 
 straight in the face. Was she not ashamed of herself? Was 
 she not afraid to raise her voice to utter bantering speeches 
 here, in the very spot where she had yesterday declared she 
 would have nothing to do with such poor, wretched surround- 
 ings? 
 
 " Are you vexed with Flora's nonsense, darling?" asked the 
 counselor, hurrying to Kathe's side, and placing her hand on 
 his arm. " It does not matter if she does tease you; you aro 
 a dear little housekeeper, I know. You looked lovely, my 
 child, standing under that dove-cot. Wait a little and you 
 shall have a fowl-yard to your heart's content, the best to be 
 had." 
 
 This unusual burst of affectionate enthusiasm from the 
 counselor made Mme. Urach hesitate for a moment on her 
 way to the porch, slightly shake her head and whisper to hw 
 granddaughter:
 
 156 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 "Brainless fellow! He is, and always will be, the 
 absurd Commis Voyageur?" at which remark Flora raised her 
 pocket-handkerchief to her mouth to hide a smile. 
 
 Kathe left her hand lying unconsciously on her guardian's 
 arm. She scarcely heard what he said, neither did she notice 
 the strange start and manner of the doctor, as he drew back to 
 let her and the counselor pass by; all she saw, all she was con- 
 scious of, was that Flora wore a black silk net glove on hei 
 left hand, the fine silk lace-work over the white delicate soft- 
 ness of her hand harmonizing well with the rest of her toilet 
 that the two brilliants which had glittered on her third finger 
 a few hours before were not there now, and in their stead the 
 " simple gold ring which weighed as heavy as iron " shone 
 distinctly and clearly through the meshes of her glove. It was 
 impossible! Kathe glanced at the flowing river, then at 
 Flora's hand, and back again at the river without being able 
 to understand if she were awake or dreaming. 
 
 " What is the meaning of this?" demanded Mme. Urach, 
 on entering the hall, and pointing to the furniture heaped to- 
 gether in one corner. 
 
 " Henriette begged so earnestly to have it removed that I 
 acceded to her wish," replied the doctor, coldly, but kindly. 
 
 " And I think she was quite right. It was a queer idea 
 don't be angry, grandmamma! to fill a sick-room with so 
 much furniture. The poor child always suffers from oppres- 
 sion on her chest, and now she is ill I don't wonder at her dis- 
 like and objection to all those stuffed satin chairs." 
 
 Mme. Urach was tempted to give her granddaughter a 
 sharp answer, but she forbore, in consideration of the doctor's 
 presence, and continued her way to the invalid's room. 
 
 On opening the door she started back. Henriette had heard 
 and recognized voices from the villa, and as her grandmother 
 entered she was leaning over the bedside with such an anxious 
 excited gaze in her large brilliant eyes, and watching so 
 eagerly the entrance of her visitors, that the old lady feared 
 she was suffering from a paroxysm of fever. A moment later 
 her fears were laid aside by the calm indifferent manner with 
 which the invalid greeted her, but she saw also that the ex- 
 cited look and expression increased as Flora followed her 
 grandmother's steps. 
 
 The widow was sitting by the bedside in the old chintz- 
 covered chair. She rose as the ladies entered, and took off 
 her spectacles, but before she had time to utter a word Flora 
 hurried over to her, held out both her hands, and gently ex-
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 157 
 
 pressed her regret for not having wished her farewell over- 
 night. Then turning to Henriette she said, pleasantly: 
 
 " Well, little one, you are going on famously, I hear? I '" 
 
 " But you, Flora?" interrupted Henriette, with scarcely 
 concealed impatience, as the counselor came forward and took 
 her hand. 
 
 Flora bit her lip to hide a mocking smile. 
 
 "I? pretty well! Yesterday's excitement upset me a good 
 deal, but by pure strength of will I have not allowed myself to 
 
 five way. Of course, yesterday I must have looked wretched, 
 was ill, and I can't help fancying I was half mad from terror 
 and nervousness; at all events, I seem hardly to be able to re- 
 member what I did or said, and no wonder. Daniel in the 
 lion's den was scarcely in a worse position than I among such 
 a lot of savage wretches. " 
 
 ; ' Well, Kathe defended you courageously/' broke in the 
 invalid, angrily. " She stood before you like a shield, and 
 bore the brunt of the blows kind, brave girl! Moriz, just 
 fancy, they tore her dress from her waist, and pulled down 
 tier hair " 
 
 " Such lovely hair as it is, too!" interrupted the widow, 
 caressing Kathe's head with her hand. 
 
 " That's quite true, they treated her shamefully," said 
 Flora, frowning, "but I beg to add that that was not entirely 
 my fault. Kathe's mania for always wearing rich silk ia 
 mostly to blame there. The wretches grudge us wealth and 
 luxury, of course, and the women clutched at and tore her 
 dress to ribbons, and obliged her to hear and unfortunately 
 us also that her grandmother went about barefooted as a 
 girl, and that her grandfather was only a poor laborer who 
 had amassed his immense fortune by hard dealings and so on. 
 I assure you that Kathe's appearance only made matters worse 
 for us, for then they became exasperated against the rich 
 heiress. I am right; am I not, Kathe?" 
 
 "Yes, Flora, you are," replied the young girl, trying to 
 smile; but her voice shook as she added: "I shall have a 
 great deal to do to atone for my grandfather's sins." 
 
 Mme. Urach's face, while Flora was speaking, was very ex- 
 pressive of satisfaction, na} r , almost delight. The coarse allu- 
 sion to the humble origin of Kathe's grandparents on her 
 mother's side sounded like music in the old lady's ears; she 
 gave a searching look at the counselor. The newly made 
 noble must shrink from the thought of taking a wife whose 
 parentage was so well known; whose very fortune was a mattej* 
 ef contention among the scum of the streets.
 
 158 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " What nonsense, Kathe," she said, shaking her head; 
 " that sounds childish and affected. How do you propose be* 
 ginning your work?" 
 
 Flora answered laughingly for he:;: 
 
 " She will open her costly money-bags and shake their con- 
 tents among the people. " 
 
 "As you did yesterday with your purse, when you feared 
 your lovely complexion was going to be damaged," observed 
 Henriette, snappishly, her feverish longing to see her lovely 
 sister humiliated to the dust before the doctor forgotten for the 
 moment. 
 
 " I don't think I shall be likely to commit such a folly as 
 that," remarked Kathe, earnestly looking at Flora, who was 
 biting her lip with vexation at Henriette 's impertinent speech; 
 " but if there is a curse on my money " 
 
 " My dear girl, you need not alarm yourself," broke in the 
 counselor, laughing aloud; "curse, indeed! Happiness and 
 good fortune go hand in hand with your money or rather 
 inheritance the profits of an arrangement I have just made 
 for you are simply colossal. " 
 
 The usually half-closed lids covering Mme. Urach's eyes 
 were suddenly raised at this news, and the eyes flashed as they 
 had not done for years with a greedy covetousness that for a 
 moment made her look almost youthful. 
 
 " Colossal!" she repeated, catching her breath; " then I will 
 immediately sell out, and join in your undertaking. " 
 
 " All right, dear grandmother, I will see about it this very 
 evening; the wise man said rightly, that ' where doves are 
 there doves fly/ and never was the old saying so true as it is 
 nowadays. The capitalist is like a rock, on which the very 
 waves cast treasures " 
 
 " Not in the eyes of those who love peace, Moriz," said Dr. 
 Brack, who was standing by the bedside holding one of Henri- 
 ette's hands in his, and from time to time begging her not to 
 excite herself, or join in the conversation going on around 
 her. He looked very handsome, but his features had the same 
 thoughtful, sad expression which Kathe had observed, while 
 they were standing by the hen-loft. 
 
 " For some time past people have been getting uneasy," he 
 went on after a moment's pause, " and are beginning to hint 
 that this easy mode of gaining money is " 
 
 " Swindling, you mean to say," interrupted the counselor, 
 em used. " My dear fellow, with all due respect to you and 
 j'our knowledge, I think / understand business transactions
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 159 
 
 better than you. You are a tiptop doctor have made your 
 name famous " 
 
 Henriette raised herself from her pillor, and, breathless with 
 vehemence and triumph, asked: 
 
 " Did you know that, Flora?" 
 
 " Of course I know it, little goose, although the Herr Doc- 
 tor has not given himself the trouble to inform me personally 
 of his successful cure in Leipsic," Flora answered, brightly, 
 looking kindly down on the drawn, excited face so eagerly 
 watching hers; " I know, too, that he basks in the sun of 
 royal favor to an extent that is rare among ordinary mortals; 
 but of course it must still be a great state secret, or his be- 
 trothed wife would have known it first." 
 
 A mischievous sunny smile played around her lips, and 
 showed the pearly whiteness of her teeth, and a rosy flush, 
 which deepened the color on her cheeks, made her look more 
 lovely than usual. Henriette lay back on her pillows, bitterly 
 disappointed; even she had failed to understand the chameleon- 
 like nature of her beautiful sister's mind. 
 
 " May we not know something more? Are the preliminaries 
 not yet begun?" asked Mine. Urach, with a gracious smile, as 
 she lightly tapped the doctor on the shoulder with her fan, in 
 a far more friendly and familiar manner than she had ever 
 used toward him before. 
 
 " He has just returned from the palace,*' said the widow, 
 regarding her nephew with pride and affection beaming in her 
 eyes. 
 
 " Ah! Then may I ask if Doctor von Bar's retirement is a 
 positive fact?" asked the old lady, with her usual bland smile, 
 but in reality almost breathless from anxiety and fear. 
 
 " I don't know, and I did not inquire," replied the young 
 doctor, with reserve. "The prince wishes me while I re- 
 main here to look at his foot, which has been painf u) so 
 long-- 
 
 " While you remain here!" repeated Flora, quickly. " Do 
 you mean to leave?" 
 
 ' ' I must establish myself in Leipsic in October, " he an- 
 swered, coldly, not looking at her as he spoke, but gazing 
 absently out of the window. 
 
 " What!" exclaimed Mme. Urach, " you have refused rank 
 and position at our court!" and she clasped her hands together 
 in surprise. 
 
 " The rank I have no choice about," he said, with an 
 ironical smile; " it appears it is not etiquette in royal eyes to
 
 160 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 allow their doctor to withdraw after a cure without a title; so 
 I am to be dubbed Hofrath;* the prince insists on it." 
 
 As he finished speaking his aunt stretched out her hand 
 toward him with tears of emotion in her eyes, and the doctor, 
 who was usually a reserved and undemonstrative man, drew 
 her into his arms, and pressed her against his heart. And for 
 one short moment both aunt and nephew forgot that they 
 were not alone. 
 
 Flora turned abruptly round, and swept proudly across to 
 the window, her silk skirt rustling noisily over the polished 
 uncarpeted floor as she went. She bit her lip till it bled, and 
 clinched her soft little hand as though she longed to tear away 
 the faithful loving woman from her nephew's breast. 
 
 " But he is going away, auntie, "\ remarked Henriette, in 
 her shrill weak voice. 
 
 " Yes, my dear, I know he is, because he has won fame, 
 and must work on for a fortune," replied the old lady, raising 
 her smiling face from her nephew's shoulder. " I will will- 
 ingly remain behind in the home his love and affection have 
 secured for me, if I know he is happy and content while per- 
 forming his duty in the great world. He has been like a dear 
 son to me, but my work will soon end now, that is, my care of 
 him; another will take my place at his side." 
 
 She spoke with earnestness and emotion, while her soft eyes 
 fastened with a tender look on the lovely woman standing by 
 the window. 
 
 " She he has chosen will know better how to minister to his 
 happiness than I. She is richly endowed with the gifts that 
 will make his home a center of attraction to him when he is 
 weary with his work, and I hope that she will endeavor to 
 make his life happy under any circumstances." 
 
 " That is very nice of you to say, my dear Frau Diakonus, 
 and I have no doubt that Flora will make a first-rate phys- 
 ician's wife/' replied Mme. Urach, coldly. She did not quite 
 like the widow's indirect reproof of yesterday's ill-temper on 
 the part of her granddaughter, and felt inclined to resent a 
 simple curate's widow presuming to dictate to a member of 
 her family. " But to make life happy in the present day, 
 comfortable rooms are one of the first essentials, and the 
 furnishing of such rooms is causing me no end of worry just 
 now. Only this morning I have had a rather provoking inter- 
 
 * Counselor of the Court. 
 
 f In Germany, young girls often cp,ll the older ladies of their f- 
 quaintance " aunt " or " auntie."
 
 i2T THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 16J 
 
 7few with the head of the firm where I ordered Flora's draw- 
 ing-room furniture, and although he has had the order for 
 gome time, he tells me that it is quite impossible the things 
 can be ready by Whitsuntide, and I was too vexed to hear the 
 reason why. Then, too, Flora has been obliged to scold the 
 woman who is making her linen, who says she can't be ready 
 till at least the end of June. What are we to do?" 
 
 " We must wait/' said Dr. Bruck, in his abrupt, decided 
 manner, as he took up his hat and stick preparatory to leaving 
 the room. 
 
 Mme. "Orach was slightly taken aback by this curt mode of 
 putting an end to her difficulties; she seemed perplexed, and 
 an anxious expression crept into her face for a moment, but 
 she bravely rallied her scattered wits, and, tapping the doctor 
 on the shoulder, said: 
 
 " That is very good of you, my dear, kind friend, and re- 
 lieves me of my difficulties at once, for I was afraid you would 
 meet such a proposal with opposition you were so anxious to 
 have the wedding at W T hitsuntide, you know. " 
 
 " Certainly I was; but then my removal to Leipsic makes a 
 change necessary." 
 
 " What does your lady-love say to that?" asked the Fran 
 Diakonus in an uncertain tone, very much disturbed in her 
 mind by the cool business like tranquillity of the doctor and 
 Flora's sudden silence. But the bride-elect came toward her 
 with a radiant face. 
 
 " The respite is not unwelcome to me, for the simple reason 
 that my future life and position are all so suddenly altered. I 
 shall have more time to make myself worthy of my position. 
 It is certainly a delicious change for the better! The wife of 
 a celebrated and renowned physician and professor of the uni- 
 versity takes her place in the world on a very different footing 
 to the wife of a simple doctor, even if he be Hofrath and phys- 
 ician to the prince. ' ' 
 
 And she unconsciously drew herself up to her fullest height, 
 her face radiant with the fulfillment of her most ambitious 
 wishes and desires. 
 
 The counselor rubbed his hands in glee and smiled ap- 
 provingly at his sister-in-law's well-timed speech; but Mme. 
 Urach frowned, and had great difficulty in keeping her anger 
 from finding vent in words. She did not approve of her 
 granddaughter's mode of behavior, neither did it please hei 
 that she should boast thus openly of occupying a position 
 higher even than her grandmother's in her married days, when 
 her husband held an honorable post at the court- But the old 
 
 a
 
 162 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 lady contented herself by remarking, with a warning shake o! 
 her head: 
 
 " You are soaring high, my dear."" 
 
 ' " Only to my brilliant future life, grandmamma/' answered 
 Flora, with a mischievous toss of her head, as she turned her 
 back suddenly on the old lady with a quick decisive movement, 
 xnore expressive than words of her determination to put the 
 past and all things pertaining to it out of her thought*. 
 " And now, dear aunt, I am going to give myself up to you 
 to do with me as you will," she added, going over to the 
 widow who was watching her narrowly. " I submit uncon- 
 ditionally to be taught everything, provided you will take the 
 trouble to show me how to go to work and make Leo happy. 
 I will learn to sew, cook " she drew off her gloves as if she 
 meant to begin at once. " Ah! my ring!" she exclaimed, 
 suddenly holding up her hand. 
 
 It had slipped from her finger in drawing off her glove, she 
 said, but no one had heard it fall. They all sought for it on 
 the ground, under the carpet everywhere but it was not to 
 be found, it seemed to have vanished into air. 
 
 " It must have got among your pillows, Henriette," Flora 
 said, with a pale face. " Let me lift you a moment, and let 
 me see if " 
 
 " No, I won't allow that," cried the widow. " She is not 
 to be moved on any account: it is not necessary to disturb her 
 for" 
 
 " Not necessary!" repeated Flora, pettishly. " It is my 
 betrothal -ring, auntie." 
 
 Kathe shuddered as she heard this. Could Flora be such a 
 wonderfully lucky girl as to have obtained back her ring from 
 under the waves, or was she willfully and wickedly saying 
 what was false? 
 
 " That is a bad omen; however, the ring can't possibly be 
 lost," said the widow in reply. " We shall be sure to find it 
 this evening when Henriette's bed is arranged for the night, 
 and then I will send it over to you by a servant. " 
 
 " I will reward her royally. I will give her a handful of 
 gold if she does bring it," said Flora, evidently very much put 
 out at her temporary loss, and scarcely able to master her im- 
 patience. 
 
 Meanwhile Mme. Urach and the counselor drew chairs to 
 the bedside and sat down by Henriette, who had not spoken 
 a word while the ring was being sought for. Once she had 
 raised her head and opened her lips to speak, but had sunk 
 back on her pillows; and once, when Mine. Urach was com*
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S Housa. 163 
 
 plaining of the tardiness of the trades-people in forwarding the 
 furniture she had muttered to herself, half to the doctor: 
 
 " Because they were partly countermanded; no tradesman 
 Jtould send them home on such terms." 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 THE widow left the room to order coffee, and Kathe fol- 
 lowed her. The poor girl's brain was in a whirl from trying 
 to fathom and understand the meaning of the comedy Flora 
 had been playing during the last half hour. She begged 
 " auntie " to let her arrange the coffee in such a coaxing way 
 that the elderly lady willingly acceded to her request, and 
 handed her the bunch of keys generally hanging at her side. 
 
 " Dear, dear Kathe! my brave, noble girl!" she said, softly, 
 as she put her arm round the maiden's waist and drew her 
 close to her bosom; " I love to look into your sweet innocent 
 face, it gives me a feeling of peace and rest, and makes me 
 think of Luther and his true, brave, beloved Katherine, who 
 walked by his side through life, always helping and encourag- 
 ing him by her strong courage and undaunted faith in him. 
 You are a dear child, Kathe!" and she tenderly kissed the 
 blushing girl, sighed deeply as if moved by some inward mis- 
 giving, and quietly returned to the invalid's room. 
 
 Kathe went to the pantry and took out the coffee and the 
 freshly baked sponge-cake which she knew the widow would 
 like to have placed before her guests, and while the maid was 
 putting fresh logs of wood in the stove to boil the kettle, she 
 filled the pretty blue glass basin with sugar and polished the 
 crystal cake-dish. Sho had just begun to cut the round cake 
 in slices when she heard some one coming out of Henriette's 
 room. The kitchen door was partly open, and through this 
 opening she saw Flora cross the hall. 
 
 The bride-elect was evidently uncertain which way to turn; 
 she was not at home in the " wretched surroundings " of the 
 doctor's house, but her eyes must have had some magnetic 
 influence, for as she glanced hesitatingly at the opposite door 
 it suddenly opened and the doctor himself appeared on the 
 threshold. 
 
 Flora flew over to him with outstretched arms. Her long 
 black dress trailed over the red stone floor, the dark drooping 
 veil hanging behind her like a cloud. With her small white 
 hands stretching forth from the falling black lace, and her 
 pale face and flawing eyes and sable robes, she looked like the 
 beautiful woy.xst whom legendary lore declares to rise at night
 
 164 IN THS COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 from her gmve to murder the young of every living thing she 
 Tweets. 
 
 " Leo!" it was a low musical voice which half whispered the 
 name. 
 
 Kathe could hardly believe her ears, her breath came and 
 went in wondering surprise. Was it really Flora's voice? It 
 was so soft and tender, so entreating in its tone that surely the 
 ^ips that Kathe had heard angrily asserting her desire to be 
 free only the evening before, could not have uttered that 
 sweet, loving sound now? The young girl turned her eyes 
 away, the knife shook in her trembling fingers, and she longed 
 to shut the door, so as neither to see nor to be seen, but she 
 had not the courage or strength to move from where she 
 stood. There was no answer to the soft appeal. 
 
 " Leo, look at me!" said Flora, louder, and in a more en- 
 treating tone. " Look at me, and don't torture me in this 
 way when your own heart even rebels against it. I know you 
 are trying hard to appear stern and punish me, but thank 
 God! it is hard for you to do it! Am I to be punished because 
 yesterday I was half mad with excitement, and did not know 
 what I was saying or doing? Leo, my life, which belongs to 
 you, was in danger; my blood boils still as I think of it and 
 you are exciting me still more, Leo!" 
 
 Kathe was spell-bound, and for a moment could attend to 
 nothing else but Flora's words; the next she heard the maid at 
 her side titter with surprise at such a beautiful lady apologiz- 
 ing to her young master. In an instant Kathe recovered her 
 self-possession, ordered the servant to set the coffee-cups, and 
 quickly placing the cake on the crystal dish she took it up and 
 walked courageously to the hall with it in her hand. In spite 
 of herself she saw as she left the kitchen the doctor's stern, 
 pale face turned away from his bride, his arms hanging loosely 
 by his side, and his lips compressed as if with pain, while 
 Flora hung round his neck in a close clinging attitude, 
 
 The sharp closing of the kitchen door made the young man 
 look that way, and at the same instant his eyes encountered 
 Kathe's. 
 
 If he had been caught in some guilty act he could not have 
 started more violently, or the blood have rushed to his brow 
 with greater force than it did now, as he endeavored to dis- 
 engage himself from the embrace of his betrothed. But Flora 
 would not loosen her hands, she merely glanced at her young 
 hulf -sister, and burying her head deeper on his shoulder mut- 
 tered in his ear: 
 
 " Nonsense, Leo, it la only Kathe."
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 165 
 
 Krihe heard and hurried across the hall as fast as her feet 
 would carry her into the sick-room. Her heart beat aloud in 
 her vexation and shame at having witnessed the sensational 
 Romeo and Juliet scene outside. With trembling hands she 
 placed the cake-dish on the table, and at Henriette's express 
 wish put a morsel of the sweet cake in the canary's cage. 
 
 On the clean white sand at the foot of the cage lay the 
 much-sought-for gold ring, which must have slipped through 
 the bars without hitting the wires and noiselessly fallen OL the 
 soft sand inside. Kathe lifted it up and quietly put it in her 
 pocket. The coffee had still to be made, but Kathe shrunk 
 from going back through the hall to the kitchen. She fidgeted 
 about the canary, now giving it a bit of sugar, then a bit more 
 cake, listening the while to Mme. Urach's remarks about the 
 trousseau, and vaguely wondering why she should be so 
 anxious to impress the widow with the importance of every- 
 thing being in the right style. 
 
 As the minutes rolled on the young girl grew more and 
 more nervous and unwilling to surprise the lovers a second 
 time in their tete-a-tete interview. How should she manage? 
 The coffee must be made, and she must make up her mind to 
 face the hall. How great was her relief when the door opened 
 and the doctor walked in. Quick as lightning she slipped 
 past him without raising her eyes, and went out into the hall. 
 It was empty. Flora was not there. The maid was grinding 
 the coffee in the kitchen. Perhaps it was the disagreeable 
 noise of the mill which had shortened the reconciliation scene. 
 
 The coffee was soon made and the tray laid; and while the 
 maid put on a clean apron to carry it into the sick-room, Kathe 
 went over to the window, took the ring from her pocket and 
 examined it. " E. M., 1843," was engraved on the inner 
 side. Ernst Mangold. It was not the ring come back in 
 some mysterious way from under the waves of the river, but 
 the marriage-ring of Flora's mother. 
 
 Kathe grew cold all over as she thought of the false, mean 
 part Flora was playing. Her own frank, innocent nature 
 could hardly understand a disposition that was ready for every 
 emergancy, and that, with a cold indifference as to conse- 
 quences, could gather up the threads of intrigue and make 
 use of them to weave a fresh net for future use. She shud- 
 dered and drew back, and glanced with a pained feeling at her 
 heart at the little simple symbol of faithful love that Flora's 
 mother had worn to the day of her death, and that now, 
 through her daughter's false-heartedness and deception, had 
 become sullied and dishonored. It burned her fingers as cho
 
 166 IN THE COUNSELORS HOUSE. 
 
 held it, and she wished she might have thrown it into tho 
 shining river out of every one's sight. But it was not hers, it 
 belonged to Flora, and to Flora she must return it, and that 
 without delay. 
 
 Slowly quitting the kitchen, Kathe went out into the porch. 
 Flora was standing by the palings, gazing into the distance, with 
 her back to the house, her arms folded on her bosom, and her 
 fair golden hair shining brilliantly in the sun. The watch-dof 
 had caught sight of her figure, and began barking so furiouslj 
 that his noise prevented Kathe's approach being heard. When 
 she reached Flora's side the latter started visibly and con- 
 tracted her eyebrows into a deeper frown, while her angry face 
 flushed scarlet and her eyes flashed scornfully. 
 
 " You are there again, are you? prying into and meddling 
 with what does not concern you!" she said, in a tone that was 
 neither refined nor lady-like. 
 
 Kathe's cheeks flushed with indignation at this unlooked-for 
 attack, and she felt inclined to resent her half-sister's bitter 
 insinuations by a few hot words, but she checked the inclina- 
 tion, and said, with reserve and pride: 
 
 " I have found the ring." 
 
 "Give it me!" Her features softened, she took the ring 
 from Kathe's outstretched hand and slipped it on her finger. 
 " I am very glad it is found. It was rather an unfortunate 
 sign." 
 
 ' You don't mean to say that you look upon it as a bad 
 omen?" remarked Kathe. 
 
 " Why not? Do you imagine that people with minds are 
 naturally free from superstition? Napoleon I. was as super- 
 stitious as an old beldame, let me tell you; and I I don't 
 deny, at least, that I am, too." 
 
 She looked into Kathe's eyes with an entreating, but firm, 
 commanding gaze, as if she would compel her young half- 
 sister to forget all that had passed not very far from the spot 
 where they were both now standing. But Kathe's fearless 
 honesty and straightforwardness were not to be daunted. 
 With hot cheeks and kindling eyes she said quietly, as she 
 pointed in the direction of the bridge : 
 
 " You forget, Flora, that you were not alone when you 
 stood there last night. " 
 
 Flora laughed bitterly. 
 
 " That's what comes of having a young sister constantly 
 running against one's skirts. That is just like a school-girl 
 to judge and condemn one's actions when one hardly knowp 
 what one is doing, and then remind one of them at unpleasant
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 167 
 
 times. Have I not already declared in there/' and she pointed 
 to the windows of the room where Henriette was lying, " that 
 yesterday 's scene in the forest upset my nerves to such an ex- 
 tent that I was half mad, and consequently not responsible for 
 what I said and did afterward? My dear Kathe, you, in your 
 superjor wisdom, seem inclined to intimate that, as well as 
 my betrothal-ring is under the river, that it is impossible for 
 it to bring me bad luck. That's it, is it not, little one?" She 
 laughed sharply again. " What if, in all my passion and ex 
 citement, or any other feeling a dispassionate critic might be 
 disposed to call the state I was in, I had not thrown my little 
 jewel from me? Did you hear it fall, my dear? Impossible! 
 for here it is " she drew the hoop on her finger " although 
 it seemed just now as if it were inclined to part company with 
 me forever." 
 
 " Because it is too large. Your fingers are more slender 
 than your mother's were," remarked Kathe, bitterly, her 
 whole body trembling with anger. Flora sprung forward as 
 if. she meant to strike hen 
 
 " You viper!" she hissed between her teeth. " I knew the 
 very first moment I saw your round, dairy-maid face that you 
 would cast a shadow across my path in life. How can you 
 stoop to dodge me and my actions as if you were a spy? You 
 spying me? Is that the honorable way your * excellent ' Lucas 
 has brought you up?" 
 
 " Leave Lucas out of the question!" said Kathe, quietly, 
 her half-sister's sudden outburst of passion and anger cool- 
 ing her own. " Whatever I may think or do, my educa- 
 tion has nothing to do with it. I know that I inherit my 
 father's love of honor, for I hate and despise falseness of every 
 kind, and I would be dumb for the rest of my life sooner than 
 tell a lie. If you have accustomed those around you in daily 
 private life to wink at and tolerate your falseness, don't expect 
 it from me; young and unaccustomed to the world as I may 
 be, you won't change me in that respect. I won't allow 
 myself to be hoodwinked. I have good eyes and a good 
 memory " 
 
 " Ah, yes, those are nature's gifts, which in a more refined 
 disposition would be modified, of course, as regards their ob- 
 servations," interrupted Flora, who had several times smiled 
 scornfully while her sister was speaking, and made a move as 
 if to go away and leave her and her moralizing together. She 
 had clinched her hands, bitten her lips, and snipped on* the 
 buds from a neighboring bush, but she had not moved away, 
 and now spoke without a trace of the passion she had exhibited
 
 168 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 not five minutes previously. " I don't know whether yofi 
 understand me, child; I hardly think so," she added, shrug- 
 ging her shoulders; " you have your own rule for judging other 
 people, and you unfortunately adhere to it as firmly as the 
 shopman does to his yard measure, no matter if he is selling 
 fine stuff or coarse, red, green, or yellow. But I will try and 
 make myself plain to you, and make you understand me once 
 for all." 
 
 Stepping nearer to the young girl, so near that Kathe felt 
 the warmth of her breath on her face, she went on, in a low 
 suppressed voice, as she glanced for a second at the windows: 
 
 Well, you are right, my betrothal-ring lies under the river 
 where I threw it in a fit of uncontrollable disgust at the 
 thought of a life of poverty by Brack's side. A girl of your 
 ideas will not be able to understand that, but no matter. You 
 think only of a husband who has a pleasant appearance, is 
 well grown, and has a handsome mustache, and when once the 
 irrevocable ' yes ' is promised, you would go with him through 
 fire and water all of which is very good in its way. Such a 
 girl would become a self-sacrificing mother, and bring up her 
 sons in a worthy manner, I have no doubt. A girl of this 
 kind, though, would love to hide under the shelter of her home 
 and timidly shut her eyes if an eagle soared in the air above 
 her. But in that sort of eagle I should glory. I would soar 
 in the air with him, for that is the air I like to breathe, and 
 never leave his side; on the contrary, I would urge his mount- 
 ing higher, trying his strong wings in still higher " 
 
 " And if he damaged his wings and fell you would cry out 
 he was only a crow, and leave him to his fate, like a coward," 
 broke in Kathe. But the moment the words were out of her 
 mouth she recognized the force of their taunt, revealing as 
 they did the outspoken truth of her half-sister's shameless con- 
 duct, by the paleness which overspread Flora's face and the 
 lassitude of her manner; but she went on courageously: '* II 
 you had only left him quietly and silently it would have been 
 better, instead of bitterly crying out that you hated him! You 
 declared he had deceived you, and been false to his position; 
 you said this only last night, on the very spot where you are 
 now standing, and yet you returned to the house 
 
 " As Doctor Bruck's adored bride-elect, who had first to 
 bear a terrible reverse in order to enable her to appreciate to 
 the full the intensity of her future happiness," Flora finished, 
 with a triumphant smile, as her sister hesitated for a moment. 
 " You can be charmingly impertinent, Kathe! I was quite 
 Struck just now with the reody way you turned my own para-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOTJS& 169 
 
 ble against me. Your plebeian inclinations atid propensities 
 are all very well in their way, but they go too far when they 
 lead you into misunderstanding a nature like mine, and a soul 
 full of aspirations and fire. How can you understand a psycho- 
 logical problem? Had I spoken yesterday of unfaithful friend- 
 ship, -you might, with some show of reason, pretend to be 
 shocked at the sudden change in my manner, and say I was 
 merely playing a part, simply because friendship never breaks 
 A)rth into love passion; but hatred and love lie side by side in 
 the human breast they set fire to each other, and very often 
 a burning, outspoken hatred is the result of an excess of love. 
 You, with your blunted feelings, are not capable of under- 
 standing the nicety of the distinction. You would cook your 
 husband a favorite dish to reconcile him; but a nature like 
 mine would burst forth into bitter accusations, of burning 
 self -accusation, and suffer death for his sake." 
 
 Then, laying her hand under her bosom, as if she were 
 stabbing herself with a stiletto, she added: 
 . " And now I will say that never have I loved Leo Bruck so 
 passionately or so intensely as since I have known that he has 
 suffered like a martyr, and held his tongue like the hero that 
 he is since I have had to confess, too, that I pained and 
 wounded him deeply; but never, never " she suddenly seized 
 Kathe's hand, and the slender white fingers were as cold as 
 the current of air from over the water " no, never before," 
 she hissed into Kathe's ear, " never till now did I feel sucb. 
 hot, glowing jealousy! Mind that, child! He is my property; 
 and even if I have nothing worse to fear than you he does 
 not care for you, that I noticed long ago; besides, he has only 
 eyes and ears for me still, I am not accustomed to endure 
 any one near me who so persistently lays herself out to please 
 as you do. Your housewifely doings and continual coming 
 and going in this house do not please me. You will for the 
 future discontinue everything of the kind. Do you under- 
 stand?" 
 
 And with this plain and undisguised behest she gathered up 
 her sweeping skirts and walked slowly back to the house, evi- 
 dently to avoid any further discussion. But it was an unneces- 
 sary precaution on her part. 
 
 Kathe's face and lips had turned white as death, but she 
 had no desire nor any intention of replying in words to sucb 
 haughty, double-tongued observations as had just fallen from 
 her half-sister's lips. Her young honor-loving nature recoiled 
 from so much duplicity; and she was silent.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IT was the month of May. The trees were sprouting forth 
 young leaves, the splendid hyacinth beds, which had been the 
 pride of the gardener and delight of all visitors at the villa, 
 were faded and over for the season; the tiny buds on the 
 syringa bushes were deepening in color, green little petals 
 were beginning to appear on the rose-trees, and the shadows 
 of the pretty zigzag walk and linden avenue were growing 
 broader and broader each day. The river had become brighter 
 and clearer, and flowed along between its green banks with a 
 glimmer and sparkle on its surface, which the beautiful May 
 sun intensified; while behind the old house a sweet perfume of 
 May flowers filled the air, and the thick, strong vine which 
 clung to the walls at the side began to look gay with its green 
 leaves and shoots. 
 
 Henriette had long since been removed to the villa, and was 
 apparently stronger and better now than she had been for 
 many months past. " Auntie Diakonus," as the girls called 
 the doctor's aunt, ascribed this improvement entirely to the 
 effect of Kathe's good nursing. 
 
 The two sisters lived a quiet, retired existence, which they 
 both seemed to intensely enjoy, especially since Kathe's piano 
 had stood in her own room; and this peaceful daily life away 
 from the excitement of society, which Henriette had formerly 
 shrunk from with a vehemence that was painful in her delicate 
 state of health, together with the refining and kindly influence 
 of constant visits from the widow, seemed to have produced a 
 wonderful change in the mind of the invalid as well as in her 
 body. 
 
 While the two girls were thus living apart by themselves the 
 drawing-rooms in the villa were never so thronged with visitors 
 as since their host had become ennobled. Festivities and gay- 
 eties of every kind were daily organized, in which the inventive 
 powers of Mme. Urach and the wealth of the counselor ap- 
 peared inexhaustible. Certainly the counselor was a fortunate 
 man. Everything he touched seemed to turn into gold. All 
 his undertakings in the commercial world were not only suc- 
 cessful, but simply fabulous in their returns, and his reported 
 income amounted to millions of thalers; and, with all his suc- 
 cess, he was a great favorite. He seemed to understand the 
 art of winning friends and keeping them. The haughtiness 
 and prnle of fortune and nobility were never discernible either
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 171 
 
 in his manner or speech. Always pleasant, affable, kindly, 
 and simple, he made every one admire him, and gave no occa- 
 sion for envy and hatred. 
 
 The promenade in front of the villa, under the overhanging 
 linden-trees, became the daily resort of fashionable families. 
 Strangers begged for admittance to the house, to admire the 
 costly paintings, sculpture, and works of art which, day by 
 day, were being added to the already rich collection. And 
 when the fine dust raised by the wheels of one of the coun- 
 selor's exquisite carriages blew into the eyes of the loiterers, as 
 it drew up before the villa, facetious remarks would be uttered 
 that " surely it must be gold dust," as it belonged to the 
 millionaire who owned the property. 
 
 Alterations of various kinds were going on about the park. 
 Here and there familar pathways were temporarily rendered 
 impassable by beautiful slabs and blocks of white marble lying 
 across the grass, for the improvements going on in the stables, 
 which had long since become too small for the increased num- 
 ber of horses. 
 
 Immense mounds of earth marked the spot where the new 
 lake was to be, and numbers of workmen were occupied in 
 decorating and repairing a large ancient pavilion, which com- 
 manded an uninterrupted view of the town on one side, of the 
 promenade and grounds around the house on the other. The 
 interior of the house itself had been subject to many alterations 
 and many changes; under pretense of enlarging a window, or 
 having a door opened through a wall, the counselor had sug- 
 gested changing the furniture of the room, and had produced 
 from his pocket samples of rich carpet and designs for em- 
 bellishing the ceiling, entreating Mme. Urach to make a choice 
 and give orders for the furnishing of the room, according to 
 the dictates of her invariable good taste. She generally grum- 
 bled and objected at first, but in the end agreed to the wishes 
 of her graudson-in-law, while protesting against improvements 
 <vhich she herself considered quite unnecessary. 
 
 While these alterations were going on the counselor came 
 and went like a bird of passage. He traveled about a great 
 deal, and when asked by Mme. Urach why he did not retire 
 from business, he replied that he intended doing so in a short 
 time, when he would purchase an estate for himself and live 
 on his property as befitted his rank and wealth. Whenever he 
 allowed himself a few days' leisure at the villa he passed many 
 of his hours on the first-floor in Henriette's and Kathe's 
 private sitting-room, where he never failed to appear also for 
 his after-dinner coffee; and as Mme. Urach was far too wide
 
 172 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 awake to allow her " dear Moriz " to lounge about Henriette'o 
 sofa alone with the two girls, she made a sacrifice of herself 
 and generally managed to appear in the room either a few 
 moments after his entrance there, or to join him on the stairs 
 before his arrival. 
 
 As far as Kathe was concerned, she was very grateful to the 
 old lady for her opportune visits. The young girl felt a 
 strange painful shyness in her guardian's presence, since the 
 time when he had spoken so tenderly and affectionately to 
 herself, but so falsely and slightingly of Mme. Urach. Un- 
 willingly she adopted toward him the bashful reserve of a 
 grown-up young lady, where she had formerly been as out- 
 spoken and ingenuous as a child. But this change in her 
 manner appeared to delight the counselor, and to render her 
 presence more and more attractive to him. Every wish of hers 
 he gratified as soon as he had had time to divine it. Some 
 weeks ago he had sold the uncultivated piece of the Mill-house 
 garden to the factory hands, and any charity scheme of hers 
 he had carried out at once, and no matter how often her purse 
 was empty he refilled it without an objection. 
 
 " You can have what you want, Kathe; I shall soon have to 
 buy you another strong-box/ ' he remarked once, glancing 
 significantly at the iron safe containing the receipts of her im- 
 mense fortune, a note of which he held in his hand. 
 
 She did not reply, but received the statement with an air of 
 gloomy reserve that did not escape his notice. In spite of his 
 diplomatic reasoning and wily answers to her searching ques- 
 tions relative to the manner in which her grandfather's fortune 
 had been realized, the doubt raised by the women in the forest, 
 that it had not been gained without considerable oppression 
 among the poorer classes, remained obstinately in her mind, 
 and each time her wealth was alluded to she grew silent and 
 nervous, and evidently afraid of the amount of gold she pos- 
 sessed. 
 
 During the past few weeks she had become more thoughtful 
 and less childish than formerly. The sunny smile which had 
 illuminated her face fifty times a day was rarely seen now, her 
 joyous laughter was hardly ever heard, her old merriness and 
 light-heartedness seemed to have quite deserted her, except 
 when she passed a few hours in the house by the river, and 
 then only returned by fits and starts. 
 
 It was the widow's custom to collect as many of the poor 
 children of the neighborhood as she could gather togethei 
 every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, for the purpose of 
 teaching them to sew and knit: and in this charitable work
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 173 
 
 Kathe earnestly entreated to be allowed to take an active part. 
 She loved children dearly, and the little creatures soon learned 
 to love her as warmly as she herself could wish. She clothed 
 them where necessary, making the pinafores and frocks her- 
 self, and what the widow could not possibly do provided a 
 meal of bread, and fruit, and milk for each of the children, 
 when the lesson in sewing was over. The old lady's face al- 
 ways beamed with satisfaction, as the young H.rl appeared at 
 her bi-weekly gatherings with a tray of fruit and dainty little 
 loaves in her hand, which she distributed among the hungry 
 little guests, with a smile that made the welcome gift a double 
 pleasure to receive. When the weather permitted, the poor 
 children were allowed to sit out under the trees and enjoy the 
 sweet fresh air; and often when the work had been done well, 
 and little fingers had diligently mastered the difficulty of turn- 
 ing a heel in a stocking, or hemming the bib to an apron, 
 Kathe would produce balls, skipping-ropes and other toys, and 
 encourage the children to play for an hour on the grass in 
 front of the house before returning home to their fathers and 
 mothers. 
 
 These proceedings did not please Flora at all; but she had 
 the good sense to refrain from openly expressed objections to 
 what Kathe did in the hearing of the inmates of the house by 
 the river, for she knew, as she remarked one day with a sneer: 
 " The old lady thinks all the world of Kathe, and imagines 
 she is endowed with every virtue under the sun/' 
 
 Flora herself visited the house every day; she had had a 
 dozen white embroidered aprons made, in one of which she 
 always appeared, knowing full well that it became her charm- 
 ingly, and pleased the widow, whom she exerted herself to her 
 utmost to fascinate. She would stoop her lovely face over the 
 hot stove, while " auntie " taught her how to make pancakes; 
 she learned the art of preserving fruit and bottling vegetables; 
 she penetrated the mysteries of the laundry, and even once 
 took up an iron and passed it slowly over a handkerchief that 
 the maid had just straightened for ironing. She looked over 
 the housekeeping books, and made her head ache by casting 
 up accounts, but do what she would she could not succeed in 
 coaxing the widow out of the habitual reserve of manner she 
 had adopted toward her since the evening of the day Henrietta 
 had been carried to her house. 
 
 The sudden change in Dr. Brack's future prospects was still 
 regarded with wonder and astonishment. Many of the families 
 in town found it difficult to believe that the hitherto slighted 
 and retiring young doctcr could possibly be the man who
 
 174 IN- THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 henceforward to walk along the streets of the capital as an 
 honored Hofrath and professor. Public opinion veered round 
 \n his favor, patients poured in from all quarters, and a fort- 
 night after his good fortune in securing the duke's favor was 
 known he rarely had time to sit half an hour at his desk had 
 to sleep in town, dine where he could, and if he wished to pay 
 a flying visit to the villa and his aunt, he was obliged to steal 
 the time for his absence by refusing to place on his overfull, 
 list the name of a new patient. 
 
 Kathe saw him very seldom, and when she did she could not 
 help remarking how changed he was. He looked pale and 
 haggard, and an absent, thoughtful, well-nigh gloomy manner 
 had taken the place of his formerly reserved but genial con- 
 versation and appearance. Since the moment when she had 
 surprised him with Flora's arms round his neck he had scarcely 
 interchanged two words with Kathe, and then in such a hurried 
 shy way that the young girl fancied he could not forgive her 
 unintentional appearance on that occasion, and resented it by 
 avoiding her whenever he could. She, on her side, felt 
 wounded and pained by his coldness, and rarely ever entered 
 the room when she knew he was likely to be there. 
 
 His manner to Flora had not undergone the slightest change 
 as far as Kathe could observe. He had ever been a reserved 
 undemonstrative lover since Kathe had known him; but often 
 she found herself wondering whether the passionate scene in 
 Henriette's sick-room had been a mere dream on her part, or 
 whether the young doctor was capable of forgetting disagree- 
 able events sooner and more completely than other people. 
 Flora must naturally have hoped that after humbling herself 
 to beg for forgiveness for her bitter words, her lover would 
 return to the old affectionate relations which had existed be- 
 tween them when first they were engaged. Was he not 
 supremely happy in feeling sure of her whom he had so pas- 
 sionately worshiped, even when she repulsed him? Perhaps 3 
 he preferred concealing his happiness at all events he did not 
 show it; and his beautiful betrothed comforted herself with 
 the thought that a man of his temperament found it rather 
 hard to forgive; but that when once they were married, and 
 the wedding was fixed for September, all would be well. 
 
 In the meanwhile, the 20th of May, Flora's birthday, ar- 
 rived. Her room was gay with sweet-smelling flowers, sent by 
 many of her friends. On a center-table stood a superb bou~ 
 quet, the gift of the reigning duchess, who sent it early in the 
 day as a mark of honor to the future wife of the new Hofrath, 
 and several congratulatory messages had arrived during tkq
 
 IKT THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 173 
 
 morning from various members of the royal family. Certainly 
 the fair bride had cause to congratulate herself on her future 
 prospects, and to consider herself, at least on this special day, 
 a favorite of the gods. And yet a shadow was over her fore- 
 head, and her mouth quivered more than once with suppressed 
 impatience and anger. On a round table, between her grand- 
 mother's gifts and those of her sisters, stood a handsome black 
 marble time-piece, the birthday gift of Dr. Bruck. He had 
 sent it with an accompanying note, saying that it was impossi- 
 ble for him to come over to the villa in the morning, on ac- 
 count of his not being able to leave a patient who was danger- 
 ously ill. 
 
 " I can't understand Leo's not finding me a prettier present 
 than that stone thing there," she said, with an air of vexation, 
 to Mme. Urach, who was stooping over the duchess's bouquet 
 as if she expected it to smell sweeter than the others about the 
 room. " A black birthday present is not a happy choice and 
 I must say that I think it is greatly wanting in taste on his 
 part." 
 
 " The clock is just the thing for this room, and was chosen 
 to please you, Flora it matches the furniture splendidly," 
 said Henriette, who was lying on a sofa near the window, as 
 she pointed significantly to the corners of the room. 
 
 "Absurd! You know as well as I do that I can't carry 
 away the furniture here. Moriz had it made to please me, 
 but he did not give it to me; besides, I have no desire to take 
 it; one gets as weary of looking at the same furniture always 
 as one would at the same dress. What can I do with that 
 black thing? It won't do to put it in my boudoir in Leipsic, 
 where the walls are to be pale lilac and the decorations all of 
 bronze." 
 
 " A fresh bunch of flowers would have been more to my 
 taste, but then you see, Flora, you are not a bit senti- 
 mental," answered Henriette, with a malicious twinkle in her 
 oyes, as she glanced across at Kathe, who was standing by an 
 exquisite myrtle-tree. 
 
 This myrtle plant had been reared with great care by 
 "Auntie Diakonus., ' who had sent it over to the bride-elect 
 is a birthday gift; but few besides Kathe and Henriette seemed 
 to appreciate the beauty of the present, or to understand that 
 it had been given at the cost of great self-sacrifice on the part 
 of the widowed lady. 
 
 After dinner the drawing-rooms and balcony were soon filled 
 with a succession of visitors, who came to congratulate Flora, 
 And to admire the tables full ol presents. The day was so
 
 176 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 warm that windows and doors were thrown open, and the 
 sweet perfumed outer air gained free admittance through the 
 magnificent sweep of apartments in which the guests were 
 assembled. 
 
 Heuriette reclined on a sofa near the open balcony door. 
 She had wished to appear on this festive occasion in a toilet of 
 pure white tulle and muslin, similar to the dress Kathe was 
 wearing to-day for the first time, but prudence compelled her 
 to wrap her emaciated figure in a white crepe de Chine shawl, 
 over which her heavy fair hair fell in rich and luxuriant 
 abundance. She looked very ill, and the sunlight playing 
 over her face seemed to heighten the dark rim round her un- 
 naturally large eyes, to sharpen the thin outlines of her feat- 
 ures, and to render more plain than usual the leaden hue of 
 her" complexion, which was never tinged with color unless she 
 was suffering from feverishness. She had just begged Kathe 
 to go and play Schubert's exquisite melody, the " Lob der 
 Thranen," and was impatiently waiting for her to begin, when 
 her pale face suddenly flushed scarlet, and her thin hands were 
 clasped to her bosom as if in pain for on the threshold of the 
 door opposite to the music-room stood Dr. Bruck. 
 
 Flora flew to his side, and put her hand through his arm, 
 and ere he had time to greet half her assembled guests she 
 entreated him to follow her into her room in order to look at 
 her numerous gifts. In spite of her nine-and-twenty years, 
 and latent desire to be regarded as a blue-stocking, Flora dis- 
 played to-day the naive, ingenuous manners of a girl of sixteen, 
 which her sweet face and graceful figure enabled her to adopt 
 to perfection. 
 
 Kathe was standing by the piano, looking for the notes of 
 the desired melody, when the engaged pair entered and passed 
 through the room. Dr. Bruck bowed, she shyly /eturned his 
 silent greeting, and without a word continued her occupation. 
 Presently through the open door she heard Flora say: 
 
 " Leo, I have determined to-day to put an end to the past, 
 in which I have made so great a mistake, and which was 
 well-nigh the cause of my losing the happiness of my life. I 
 will not refer to that miserable evening when I lost all control 
 over my reason, and uttered words that I in my heart knew to 
 be false, or rather I only refer to it to tell you that you also 
 were wrong in what you said. It was not a mere impulse 
 which prompted me to write it may as well be said once and 
 for all but my inborn genius. Don't question me further 
 though I will tell you that I should have succeeded as an au- 
 hor if only by means of a work of mine, that you have not
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 177 
 
 f-fcn, on ' Women. ' It has been favorably criticised by those 
 competent to judge of its merits, and my name would have 
 been honored in the literary world; but how could I possibly 
 think now of going through life by your side, and at the same 
 time devote my energies to developing my own special talents? 
 No, no, Leo, 1 will bask in the glory and brightness of your 
 greatness as becomes an admiring wife; and in order to avoid., 
 in the future, being tempted to return to my much-loved study, 
 these manuscripts, which are the result of many hours of 
 thought and poetic inspiration, shall disappear forever from 
 the face of the earth." 
 
 Kathe found the piece of music at last, and as she went over 
 to the piano she saw Flora strike a lucifer, light the leaves of 
 the manuscript, and throw it hesitatingly into the empty 
 stove. With a half glance toward the doctor the young girl 
 observed that he made no attempt to hinder the destruction of 
 the precious papers. Whatever Flora may have hoped or ex- 
 pected from him he made no sign of wishing to stop the auto- 
 da-fe. 
 
 Silent and gloomy in expression he stood unmoved by the 
 window; and while the fumes of the burning paper were 
 wafted by the summer air to the music-room, and Flora 
 watched the consuming flames with quivering lips and flashing 
 eyes, Kathe placed herself on the music-stool, and began play- 
 ing Liszt '& well-known arrangement of the " Lob der Thra- 
 nen," determined not to hear Dr. Brack's reply to Flora's 
 ostentatious self-sacrifice, unwilling witness as she had again 
 been to a scene between him and his betrothed wife. 
 
 As her fingers mechanically passed over the keys, the thought 
 flashed through her brain that he would hate her in time if he 
 became aware of her presence during such moments of private 
 explanation. She heard him speaking, but though his voice 
 reached her ears the words he uttered were unintelligible; for 
 she resolutely applied her energies to the task before her, and 
 would not allow herself to be beguiled into paying the least 
 attention to what was passing in the room at her side. 
 
 Presently, when she had finished, on rising from her seat, 
 she saw Flora emerging from her sanctum, about to cross over 
 to the outer drawing-room. She was not now hanging caress- 
 ingly on her lover's arm, as she had been when she traversed 
 the apartment a short while previously, but walked slowly by 
 his side, holding the princess's bouquet in her hand, with a 
 downcast mien about her, as if she had been forced to recog- 
 nize at last that she had found her master.
 
 178 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 As she passed the piano she cast an angry glance at Kathe, 
 and, standing still for a moment, said, sharply: 
 
 "What a blessing yon have finished, child! You were 
 making such a terrible noise just now one could hardly hear 
 one's self speak even in the next room. You play your own 
 compositions very nicely; but then they are such simple, 
 childish melodies, without much depth in them, but Schubert 
 and Liszt are beyond you, my dear, and require more practice 
 and greater knowledge of music than you possess to render 
 them perfectly, and you are not yet a finished pianist. " 
 
 " Henriette asked me to play the piece for her/' replied 
 Kathe, quietly. " I have never given myself out as a finished 
 pianist " 
 
 " No, darling, we know you have not; and I am very glad 
 you don't go in for gymnastics on the piano, " broke in Henri- 
 ette, who was standing on the threshold of the door. " But 
 no one knows better than you how to play Schubert with the 
 deepest feeling. Perhaps Flora fancies that the tears you 
 bring to one's eyes when playing his compositions are the re- 
 sult of mere compliment?" 
 
 " Diseased nerves, my dear nothing more!" Flora replied, 
 laughingly, as she followed the doctor into the large drawing- 
 room. 
 
 Here Mme. Urach was sitting, with a flushed face and 
 troubled aspect, one hand holding her eyeglass, the other a 
 letter which had just been brought to her by a servant. 
 
 " Oh, my dear Hofrath!" she began, as the young doctor 
 entered the room, addressing him by his new title, which she 
 made use of as often as it was possible to introduce it in con- 
 versation. " I have just received a letter from my friend 
 Baroness Steiner, in which she announces her intention of 
 coming here in a few days, in order to seek help and advice 
 from you. It appears that her little grandson, the last scion 
 of the old Von Brandau family, has been limping in his walk 
 lately, and the worthy doctors she has had to see him are evi- 
 dently perplexed about the cause of this misfortune. Will you 
 examine the boy, and undertake the case?" 
 
 " Very willingly, on one condition." 
 
 " And that is?" 
 
 " That the lady does not make too great a demand on my 
 time, " replied the young doctor, who knew from experience 
 that high-born aristocratic mothers were apt to consider time 
 as of no account, and liked to have a passing cold treated with 
 the same attention as a serious illness. 
 
 Mme. Urach was perceptibly hurt at the indifferent manner
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 17$ 
 
 in which her request was granted, but she said nothing. 
 Presently, turning to Flora, she said: 
 
 " The baroness is evidently offended at my last letter to her, 
 in which I was obliged to put off her visit to us for a time. 
 She says as much in this " and the old lady tapped the paper 
 in her hand with her eyeglass " and I have no doubt that i f 
 would -have been long ere she wrote to me again but for thL 
 new sorrow and anxiety about her grandson. You may 1m 
 agine, Flora, how grieved I am about it. She now suggest*, 
 staying at a hotel, the one most available for our Hofrath; 
 and begs me to engage at least five rooms for her. She regrets 
 we are so full that we can not take her in," added the old 
 lady, as she glanced reproachf ally at the young girl standing 
 at her side. 
 
 Kathe blushed with pride and shame that Mme. Urach 
 should thus covertly reproach her for a position she had no 
 power to change, and then the sweet girlish face paled as she 
 opened her lips to speak. But ere she had time to utter a 
 sound Mme. Urach went on: 
 
 " We could manage to have her here, and put her on the 
 first-floor, if she were not so particular about having five 
 rooms. I suppose she wants a sitting-room for herself and 
 her daughter, also another for little Job Brandau and his 
 bonne, and three bedrooms for she brings her maid with her, 
 of course," she added, as she rested her head on her hand. 
 
 " All of which means that Kathe is in the way, and you 
 wish this exacting baroness to occupy her rooms. Is it not so, 
 grandma?" cried Henriette, in her usual sharp angry tones. 
 
 " I have already suggested going over to the Mill-house," 
 remarked Kathe, quietly, as she gently smoothed Henriette's 
 hair. 
 
 " I know a better plan than that, Kathe, if you are obliged 
 to move at all," continued the little invalid, her eyes brighten- 
 ing. " We will ask Auntie Diakonus to let you have that nice 
 pleasant spare room of hers. I know she will be delighted to 
 have you, for she loves you dearly and thinks no one equal to 
 you. Your piano can be taken over for you, and then I shall 
 come and see you as often as I can. I know ' auntie ' will let 
 me, for ' She broke off suddenly as her glance fell on the 
 doctor, who had turned away to the window, but now faced 
 round upon her with such flashing eyes that the poor little 
 invalid fancied he must be out of his mind. 
 
 " I think it would be more practical and better hi ever} 
 way to send the boy and his botuio to my house," he said, 
 coldly and decisively.
 
 180 lit THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Mme. TJrach fidgeted with the string of her cap, and made 
 no attempt to repress an ironical smile which played for a 
 moment round her mouth as she replied: 
 
 "I am afraid, my dear H of rath, that that arrangement is 
 quite out of the question. My old friend would never dream 
 of parting with the child, besides, you have no idea what a 
 spoiled, pampered boy he is. Our hereditary prince is not 
 half so luxuriously brought up as this last and only scion ol 
 the Brandaus. The ugly puny child sleeps in a bed of satin 
 and lace, and Well, the family are rich, you see, and think 
 all such luxuries indispensable; even we find it a difficult mat- 
 ter to entertain them in a manner, they are 
 
 " How can you suggest taking such a little wretch who is 
 the most tiresome and willful of boys into your house, Leo? 
 He would worry ' auntie ' to death," broke in Henriette, 
 addressing the doctor; and utterly regardless of what she was 
 saying, she went on excitedly: " What has Kathe done to vex 
 you? I have been noticing for a long time how cold and un- 
 friendly you are to her. What is it? Is she not grand enough 
 for you, because her grandfather was the old castle miller? 
 You never seem to think it worth your while to talk to her, 
 and really it is too absurd, for after all she is Flora's sister as 
 much as I am, although her mother was not ours. We had 
 the same father, you know. We all say ' thee ' and ' thou ' to 
 each other, why should she not say it to you, and you to her, 
 as I do?" 
 
 " My dear Henriette, I have never particularly liked the 
 habit you have fallen into of saying ' thou ' to Leo, and if I 
 could have my own way you should not do it any more than 
 Kathe," said Flora, sharply. " I have no notion of allowing 
 any one else to share in my special privileges if I can help it, 
 though in your case I make no objection now, considering you 
 have claimed the right from the very first, but I see no reason 
 for Kathe's assuming any such intimacy with Leo, and I shall 
 strenuously oppose it," and she threw her arms around her 
 lover's neck and looked up smilingly in his face. 
 
 It might have been that the young man objected to being 
 caressed in the presence of others, or perhaps Henriette's re- 
 proach had irritated him beyond endurance, for he started 
 aside as if he had been stung when the soft hand touched his 
 shoulder, and his face grew livid and pale. 
 
 Kathe took advantage of the momentary silence which fol- 
 lowed Flora's energetic remark, to quit her position by Mme. 
 Urach's chair, and to walk toward the door with the intention 
 of leaving the room. The poor girl's heart ached, and she
 
 IN THE COUNSELORS HOtlSE. 181 
 
 longed to burst into tears. Bitterly as she felt the unkindness 
 of Mme. Urach's behavior toward her, and the awkwardness 
 of her position with Dr. Bruck after Flora's absurd refusal to 
 admit her into the intimacy enjoined by Henriette, she held 
 back her tears, and forced her manner to assume a certain 
 amount of calmness, which she was far from feeling inwardly. 
 
 She had nearly reached the door when it was suddenly 
 opened from the outside, and the counselor walked in. For 
 one moment Kathe forgot all the shyness and reserve which 
 she had lately felt toward him, all the annoyance caused by 
 his undisguised preference for her society; she only saw before 
 her the guardian who stood to her in the place of her father, 
 the man to whom she had a right to look for protection and 
 help in every difficulty and trouble, and following an impulse 
 over which she had no control, she sprung toward him and laid 
 her hand on his arm. 
 
 He looked surprised and pleased, smiled down on the up- 
 turned, beseeching face at his side, and pressed the hand rest- 
 ing ^on his arm close to his heart. In his hand he held a 
 somewhat bulky paper box, which he laid on the table near 
 where Mme. Urach was sitting. 
 
 His entrance had interrupted a rather unpleasing scene, and 
 Henriette, whose unfortunate remark had been the cause of 
 the mischief, was so delighted at his unexpected arrival that 
 she uttered half aloud, half to herself: 
 
 " I could hug you, you dear Moriz, for coming here just at 
 this very moment!" 
 
 " It is a comfort to know one is welcome, at any rate," re- 
 plied the counselor, with one of his bright genial smiles, as he 
 caught the words and stretched out his hands to the little in- 
 valid reclining on the sofa. Then turning his handsome face 
 toward Flora, he said : 
 
 " At last I have brought you my birthday gift, Flora, and 
 very glad I am it is all right. My agent accounts for his delay 
 in sending it by remarking on the excessive care needed in 
 making it," and he loosened the lid while he spoke. "Apropos 
 to your birthday I have still another pleasure for you," he 
 interrupted himself to add in a light gay tone. " I have just 
 been told that you are revenged, inasmuch as the leader of 
 that attack on you in the forest has been condemned this 
 morning, and is to suffer a pretty long term of imprisonment 
 for the pleasure she had of showing you her nails; the others 
 have got off with a reprimand, either because they are very 
 young or because they only followed a bad example. " 
 
 " But surely Flora will not hear this news in the light of a
 
 182 IBT THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 birthday pleasure!" cried Henriette. " The punishment i* 
 right., I have no doubt, and even that hideous depraved woman 
 must acknowledge she deserves it, if she considers the matter 
 at all. But there is so much humiliation and shame for us in 
 the affair, for it is dreadful to know how we are hated by these 
 work-people and Flora is hated most of all that I thii^k, 
 Moriz, it would have been better if you had held your tongue 
 about it to-day of all days in the year. " 
 
 " Do you think so?" said Flora. " Moriz knows me better 
 he knows that I soar higher than a mere village dame, and 
 that I don't care one iota to be popular; nay, that I would 
 not stir my little finger to be worshiped by the whole lot. 
 You thought the same once upon a time. I should like to 
 know what you would have said eight months ago, Henriette, 
 if any one had ventured to defend the poor, or take up the 
 people's cause in our drawing-room? You know you used to 
 be bitter enough against them, but since Kathe's arrival the 
 question has been so much discussed between you that really 
 one hardly dare venture to express an opinion contrary to your 
 changed notions for fear of being assailed with overpowering 
 arguments and youthful indignation. I should not be sur- 
 prised even to hear that our youngest sister Kathe had ordered 
 roast beef and soup to be sent to that woman to help her keep 
 up her strength during her punishment." 
 
 " Nothing of the kind, replied Kathe, courageously re- 
 pudiating her beautiful sister's irony and sarcasm by a straight- 
 forward honest glance in her face; " but I made a few inquiries 
 about her family, and found out she has four little children, 
 and that her unmarried brother, who worked in Moriz's fac- 
 tory, and who had undertaken to look after the little ones, is 
 very ill. Of course, these five helpless beings can not be al- 
 lowed to starve while the necessary punishment is being carried 
 out, and and I may as well confess at once that that I mean 
 to take care of them till their natural protector is at liberty 
 again, and their uncle is able to work for them." 
 
 The counselor turned away, but Kathe went up close to 
 him, and laying her hand again on his arm she said, passion- 
 ately, with heightened color and glowing eyes: 
 
 " Moriz, it is on occasions like this that the spending of my 
 grandfather's money does not hurt me." 
 
 Mme. Urach moved impatiently on her chair; such excessive 
 delicacy of sentiment made her feel angry; she had no sym- 
 pathy with such far-fetched notions of honor. 
 
 " A very pretty beginning, certainly!" she cried out, angrily. 
 " A fortune could uot have found its way into more dangerous
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 183 
 
 hands than yours, my dear. Yes, dear Hofrath, you may well 
 stand looking at that hand resting on Moriz's arm. It is lying 
 there so helplessly, one would find it difficult to imagine it is 
 the same one which determinedly throws out of window to the 
 first poor person the money Moriz ought to be guarding for 
 her future benefit!" 
 
 Kathe drew away her hand immediately, but not before she 
 had had time to notice the frown on Dr. Brack's brow, as he 
 glanced from those white fingers on the coat sleeve to the 
 pictures on the opposite wall. 
 
 " What nonsense, grandmamma! If Leo did glance at 
 Kathe's hand it was not intended as a reproof/' cried Flora, 
 sharply, as she drew back a little and noticed, with some little 
 anxiety, the changing color on her lover's face; " he was al- 
 ways very enthusiastic about the welfare of the people, and " 
 
 ' ' But not now, my dear, not now that he has been called to 
 fill a post of honor about the court, and is such a favorite with 
 the prince." 
 
 " And why should my present position alter my opinions?" 
 the young doctor demanded in a quiet tone, though his voice 
 was low and rather unsteady. 
 
 " But, good gracious, doctor, you surely do not intend being 
 mixed tip with this new democratic movement? it would 
 never do!" exclaimed Mme. Urach, anxiously. 
 
 " I think I have already explained many times that I have 
 nothing whatever personally to do with the democratic societies 
 you refer to, madame," replied the young man, gently; " I 
 only trouble myself with matters intimately connected with 
 every true man's duty, that is to say I take an interest in the 
 well-being of those unable to look after sanitary measures for 
 themselves, and 
 
 But he was interrupted ruthlessly by Moriz, who had been 
 unfastening the box, and now displayed before the delighted 
 eyes of the ladies a beautiful pale amber silk dress and a piece 
 of violet velvet of rich quality, as he exclaimed: 
 
 " There, Flora, are two dresses which I think will help you 
 to make your debut in the world as 'the famous professor's 
 wife." 
 
 Moriz's object of avoiding an unpleasant discussion was ac- 
 complished. Even Henriette forgot her annoyance in admira- 
 tion of the lovely fan and exquisite flowers which, with head- 
 dress and gloves, accompanied each dress and completed the 
 birthday gift. 
 
 But the box was not empty yet. 
 
 " I thought I would bring back with me this time a little
 
 184 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 souvenir for each of you/' the counselor went on, after the 
 dresses were duly admired and commented upon, " because I 
 may not be leaving home again for some time, and if I do I 
 may not be able to find what I want, so I just ordered these 
 few little things while I was in Berlin, and gave myself the 
 pleasure of bringing them with me. There, grandmamma, 
 that is for you," he added, as he laid a costly lace shawl on 
 the old lady's lap, which caused her to beam with delight. 
 
 " Here, Henriette!" and he displayed a soft white taffeta 
 robe before the glistening eyes of the little invalid. 
 
 Then with an earnest, passionate and expressive gaze that 
 caused her to droop her eyelids for a moment he laid in Kathe's 
 astonished hand a handsomely embossed jewel-case. 
 
 This look startled the young girl, and revealed to her the 
 cause for the strange, scarcely understood reserve which had 
 lately been working within her, and which had made her in- 
 voluntarily shrink from intimate intercourse with her guard- 
 ian. She did not like his manner toward her, or the warmth 
 and expression of his eyes each time he regarded her. She 
 would put an end to it if she could, but how? It seemed to 
 her as if he assumed there was some secret understanding be- 
 tween them by his daring to regard her in his strange way, 
 and she determined it should not be repeated again. She 
 would not have him look at her like that. Shame, indignation 
 and rebellion at her will being thus tacitly subdued in the 
 presence of others, added to maidenly reserve, obliging her to 
 be silent, were each struggling for the mastery, and for a few 
 moments took away from her her power of utterance. 
 
 " Well, Kathe, is it a new experience for you to have a 
 present given you?" Flora asked. " What has Moriz chosen 
 for you? Come, we shall have to see the contents sooner or 
 later, so let me look at it now, child," she added, taking the 
 case out of Kathe's trembling hands. Pressing her fingei 
 against the spring, the lid flew open and presented to view a 
 magnificent necklace of brilliants, which glittered and sparkled 
 on a black velvet cushion. Mme. Urach slowly raised her 
 glass to her eye. 
 
 "Superb! exquisite! They are really wonderfully artistic 
 and antique-looking for imitation, even if " 
 
 " Imitation!" exclaimed the cotmselor, hurriedly, as the old 
 lady reached out her hand and drew the case close to her for 
 the better inspection of its contents. " But grandmamma, 
 how can you imagine 1 would do anything so mean? Is one 
 thread of this rich stuff of bad quality?" he asked, touching 
 the violet with his fingers, " I never buy false jewelry or
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 185 
 
 imitations of any kind on principle surely you know that by 
 this time?" 
 
 The old lady bit her lip with vexation as she said, hastily: 
 " Yes, yes, Moriz, I know that quite well; only the richness 
 of those stones surprised me for a moment. Why, my dear, 
 if these brilliants are pure and now I see they are they are 
 finer than anything of the kind possessed by our princess. " 
 
 " Then I am sorry the prince is not able to present her with* 
 a set," replied the counselor, carelessly. "But, seriously 
 speaking, I should be ashamed to give Kathe false jewelry, if 
 for no other reason than that in a couple of years she will be 
 mistress of such a superb fortune that she will be able to pur- 
 chase as many jewels as she fancies; and then if my present 
 had been imitation it would be thrown aside in the corner as 
 worthless." 
 
 " That I can well believe," replied Mme. "Orach, with cut- 
 ting irony. " Kathe has a perfect passion for everything rich 
 and costly, as we can see by the rich silk dresses she is so fond 
 t)f wearing every day; but, my dear child, there is a great art 
 in dressing becomingly, and it must be learned if you wish to 
 make anything of a figure in the world," she said, as she 
 glanced reprovingly at Kathe, who was standing near the table 
 without any apparent intention of claiming her right to ex- 
 amine her present. " Diamonds are not worn at eighteen; a 
 girl of your age ought to be content to wear a simple cross at 
 her throat or a velvet band attached to a locket certainly 
 nothing more expensive than a simple pearl or coral necklet." 
 
 " You forget, grandmamma, that Kathe will not always be 
 eighteen or an unmarried girl," broke in Flora, flippantly. 
 " I know that, don't I, Kathe?" 
 
 The young girl's eyes flashed with anger and vexation, and 
 she turned proudly away without a word of reply. 
 
 " Oh, how superbly disdainful our little one looks!" said 
 Flora, laughing to try and hide her anger and confusion. 
 " One would think I had touched upon a state secret when I 
 teased her! Is it a crime to wish to be married, you little 
 prude? You should not be ashamed to confess openly what 
 you have acknowledged to in private." Then with a sly ex- 
 pressive glance at the counselor she added, as she daintily held 
 the ornament in her white fingers: " Now, really, Moriz, I 
 must say that this necklet ought only to be worn by the wife 
 of a a millionaire. " 
 
 Mme. Urach rose hastily from her seat, gathered he? 
 glasses, letter and handkerchief together, and gave an mv
 
 186 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 patient pull to the lace shawl on her shoulders as she 
 pointedly: 
 
 " I hope, Moriz, you will always be as particular in the 
 future to buy everything of the genuine sort; the champagne 
 we drank at dinner, in honor of Flora's birthday, was certainly 
 not the best; it has made my head ache so badly I must go 
 and lie down for an hour. " 
 
 And she walked toward the door, but when she had taken 
 about a dozen steps she turned round, and handing her letter 
 to the counselor, she remarked: 
 
 " When my headache is better I must beg you to come to 
 some definite decision about this," and she waved the paper in 
 a marked manner. " Read it, and you will see for yourself 
 that it will be impossible to refuse the baroness a second time, 
 and not to lose her as a friend. I did so at first for peace* 
 sake, that is, I acquiesced in your wish, but I can not be so 
 submissive again. People of our rank are not accustomed to 
 be taken up and put down at the dictation of caprice. Re- 
 member that, my dear Moriz!" and the old lady smiled grimly 
 and with a haughty nod of her head quitted the room. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " You will have something to do now, Moriz," said Flora, 
 pointing to the door by which her grandmother had just left 
 the room. " Grandmamma is equipped and armed to the 
 teeth for fight" 
 
 The counselor laughed aloud. 
 
 " Ah, well you may laugh, but you will see that she will not 
 surrender one inch of the position she holds here not a hair's- 
 breadth will she yield to another. I have often told you, you 
 gave her far too much power in your house; I warned you long 
 ago how it would be now s'ee how you will get out of this 
 mess you are in " Interrupting herself suddenly she took 
 hold of the young doctor's hand and said, in an anxious tone: 
 "For Heaven's sake tell me what is the matter with you, 
 Leo!" and receiving no answer, she went on after a moment: 
 " That you are going through some inward struggle I know 
 quite well, although you think to hide it from me. What is 
 it? You may deceive others, but the eyes of love are keener, 
 and me you can not deceive. Lines are creeping into your 
 face here and here;" she touched with her finger his forehead, 
 which had suddenly become crimson to the roots of his hair. 
 ' ' These fresh-grown furrows make me very anxious you look 
 pallid and worn, too, lately. You arc working too hard. Do
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 187 
 
 you know? No, you don't well, listen then. I shall take 
 upon myself from to-day onward to send one of our men- 
 servants to your apartments in town with special orders from 
 me not to admit to your presence all those troublesome people 
 who come to you for advice, but who once repaid your skill 
 with ill-concealed scorn, and who worry you to death with 
 their meanness and never-ending demands on your time/' 
 
 Henrlette looked up at her sister while she was speaking, 
 with eyes ."ind mouth open wide with astonishment, while the 
 counselor stroked his fine beard to hide his inclination to 
 laugh. But Dr. Bruck himself, whose face had hitherto 
 merely expressed indifference and passiveness, now suddenly 
 assumed a sharp angry defiance, and he laughed bitterly as he 
 said, sternly, and in a very decided tone: 
 
 " You will do nothing of the kind, Flora. I absolutely 
 forbid you to interfere in any way with my professional duties, 
 either now or in the future. " Then turning to the counselor, 
 he said, quietly: " I am very much interested in one of my 
 patients who is dangerously ill both mentally and bodily. I 
 want to talk with you about his affairs, Moriz. Can you give 
 me a few moments alone?" 
 
 "A patient dangerously ill?" repeated the counselor, 
 thoughtfully, as his brows contracted into a frown, and his 
 mouth assumed a hard compressed look. " Ah, yes, I remem- 
 ber," he went on, with a wave of his hand; " it must be that 
 dare-devil Lenz. The man has been speculating to an alarm- 
 ing extent for his means, and he would like to put his hands 
 into my pockets to help him out of his scrape; no, thank 
 you!" 
 
 " Don't you think it would be as well if we were to talk it 
 over in your room?" said the doctor, firmly. " At present we 
 are the only two whom the man has made aware of his affairs 
 not even his wife knows why " 
 
 " Well, well, I am curious to know how he succeeded in 
 persuading you to be his mediator, but I doubt if I shall move 
 even my little finger to put him straight again. I tell you the 
 affair is hopeless," replied the counselor, shrugging his shoul- 
 ders, for although he had himself gathered riches and wealth 
 around him, and had formerly been good-natured enough to 
 those struggling about him, yet now he seemed incapable of 
 understanding the sorrows and troubles of less fortunate peo- 
 ple. After a moment he added: " Besides, you of all people 
 have the least reason to sympathize with the man, for you 
 know that he too picked up a stone to throw at you not so 
 long ago."
 
 188 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Do you think that ought to affect me?" asked Dr. Brack, 
 from over his shoulder as he gently led the way from ths 
 room, his tall manly figure gaining dignity from the determi- 
 nation of his manner, appearing taller even than the counselor, 
 whose usual elegant nonchalant manner was changed for ihe 
 moment to a hesitating, somewhat shrinking, half-defiant, 
 half -frightened air. 
 
 When the door closed on the doctor and the counselor the 
 three girls were left alone. Flora rang loudly for her maid to 
 take away her brother-in-law's costly present, while Kathe 
 drew a pair of gloves from her pocket, quickly put them on, 
 and then reached out her hand for her parasol. 
 
 " Are you going out, Kathe?" asked Henrietta from her 
 reclining chair. 
 
 " To-day is working afternoon at Auntie Diakonus's. I 
 am already late, so must hurry away, for " answered the 
 young girl, unwillingly, but stopping short in her remark as 
 Flora suddenly threw a paper box of flowers with an angry 
 gesture across the room, scattering their contents all over the 
 floor. 
 
 " This wonderful excess of business is enough to drive one 
 out of their senses," cried Flora, angrily. "This 'auntie,' 
 the very personification of duty, has refused my invitation to 
 coffee, because, forsooth, to-day is the afternoon when all those 
 waifs and strays of the to mi congregate at her house to learn 
 to sew! as if she could not have put them off and now, here 
 is Kathe following suit, and gravely asserting that she too has 
 her duty to attend to in teaching those brats!" 
 
 Then waiting till the maid had gathered the flowers from 
 the floor and had left the room, she seized Kathe, who was 
 also about to follow the servant's example, by the arm, and 
 holding her firmly, said : 
 
 " Just wait one moment while I tell you that you force me 
 to play a part for which I have very little patience. It is a 
 long time yet to September. What is more likely than that 
 * auntie ' will expect her nephew's future wife to make the 
 Bame heroic self-sacrifice for the good of the people as she ac- 
 cepts daily now from you, her pattern of all that is good and 
 eweet? She will think that I too ought to take hold of the 
 dirty little fingers and patiently pick up the dropped stitches 
 of a dirtier stocking till the stupid little peasant's brain has 
 mastered the art of knitting; that I ought to wash dirty faces, 
 stroke uncombed hair, and be willing to play at catch-catch 
 with all the little vagabonds of the place. Bah! I should like 
 to see myself doing it! I did trv it once, but it made me sick.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 189 
 
 And I have no doubt that the dear good, woman is pouring 
 into Leo's ears complaints of me from morning till night: how 
 proud and haughty I am and how heartless I must be not to 
 love dirty children. Now for this very reason : for the reason 
 that I don't mean to be set up as a contrast to you I must 
 beg you in future not to go so often to that house, to my 
 future home. I won't have you visiting there as you do, and 
 j. insist nay, command you to give up going there. Do you 
 hear? I have a right to demand it!" 
 
 " Yes, I hear, but nevertheless I shall go on doing what my 
 own judgment tells me there is no harm in," replied Kathe, 
 firmly and quietly, while she wrenched her arm from Flora's 
 
 frasp. " Your right, which you use so badly, I do not ac- 
 nowledge as having power over me, and " 
 
 "No, of course not," broke in Henriette, with glowing 
 cheeks and flashing eyes. 
 
 " And I will not submit to it," continued Kathe. " If you 
 imagine that there is treachery in every act of those around 
 you it is a sure sign that you feel your own power is on the 
 wane. " 
 
 * "On the wane?" replied Flora, scornfully, and clasping her 
 hands in pretended amusement. " My dear little woman, my 
 wisest of all moralizers, you make a slight mistake there. A 
 passionate affection such as I have had cause to test severely 
 in my lover, and which has only grown more intense in the 
 trial, could never now be influenced by any one. My power is 
 now, as ever, intact." 
 
 " Very unfortunate it is, too!" murmured Henriette, angrily, 
 to herself, adding, somewhat louder : " I am constantly obliged 
 to recall to my mind Doctor Brack's former firmness of pur- 
 pose in all his actions not to call him an imbecile!" 
 
 "It is only a question now of the time between this and 
 September," continued Flora, merely noticing Henriette's re- 
 mark by a sarcastic shrug of her shoulders, " and I regard the 
 matter as an act of policy on my side toward the old lady, for 
 I have no wish to vex her naturally. When we are settled in 
 Leipsic all that will be changed, of course, and Leo will soon 
 recognize that the kind of wife his aunt would have chosen for 
 him would not only be a burden, but a drag to him. He will 
 only fully understand my value when he sees his drawing-room 
 frequented by people of good birth, \vho will consider it an 
 honor to visit us, owing to his brilliant position and my being 
 at the head of his house; and when he sees me filling my post 
 with the ease and elegance natural to me, and at the same 
 time regulating rny kitchen and nursery as becomes a sensible
 
 190 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 wife, then, and then only, will he be able to judge of mj 
 worth. I have thought it all over, and I find that with my 
 income I shall not only be able to dress elegantly, but have a 
 first-rate cook and a good nurse and governess if I need them, 
 without touching one penny of whatever he may allow me for 
 household expenses/* 
 
 She looked at her rosy finger-tips as she spoke and then 
 jlowly raised her head with a haughty gesture and gazed at her 
 reflection in the large mirror which reached from floor to ceil- 
 jig. It was the face of a lovely woman, certainly, which met 
 her gaze, but somehow not one whom involuntarily one asso- 
 ciated with a helpless infant on her knee, or as bending loving- 
 ly over a sick-bed and whispering gentle caressing words to 
 ease pain, not one whose natural place was the nursery, where 
 tiny arms would be stretched out in loving welcome at her ap- 
 proach, or rosy faces be held up to be kissed! 
 
 Presently her glance wandered from her own face in the 
 glass to Kathe's white-robed figure standing near the blue 
 velvet curtains dividing the rooms, and she could not avoid 
 noticing the fresh youthful beauty of the clear complexion 
 and the innocent depths of the truthful brown eyes in contrast 
 to her own more regularly beautiful features, with their worn 
 expression and anxious, sharply defined outlines. Perhaps the 
 contrast vexed her, for she smiled spitefully as she nodded her 
 head at the figure in the background, and remarked: 
 
 "It is all very well, little one, but you will soon lose that 
 violet-like modesty of yours, and you will no more care for the 
 domestic duties and worries your beloved Lucas has taught 
 you to consider the height of happiness than I do. Moriz 
 won't allow you to go about the house with bundles of keys 
 clanging at your side of that you may be quite sure; although 
 he may be gallant enough to promise you a dozen times over a 
 poultry-yard, you won't be allowed to superintend it yourself ! 
 And just because he is a newly created nobleman he will be 
 more particular about the appearance of his wife's hands than 
 the oldest and noblest prince in the land." 
 
 Kathe flushed like a peony, and moved away from her posi- 
 tion by the curtains, as she asked, simply and wonderingly, of 
 her elder half-sister: 
 
 " What has that to do with me? Surely Moriz can do as he 
 likes?" 
 
 " Flora, how can you have so little tact as to meddle with 
 Moriz's affairs in any such way?" cried Henriette, in distress, 
 vhile watching anxiously the wondering look in Kathe's eyes. 
 
 " Nonsense! he ought to be very much obliged to me foi
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 191 
 
 smoothing his way for him. Besides, you know very well that 
 I am not referring to a matter that Kathe has not known for 
 a long time. Every girl above fifteen has that within her 
 which instinctively warns her first and then like an electric 
 shock assures her that she has won a man's heart. And those 
 who will not acknowledge it are either absurdly stupid or re- 
 fined and finished coquettes." 
 
 Again' she looked at herself in the mirror and arranged the 
 hair on her forehead ere adding: 
 
 " All who have eyes can see for themselves how charmingly 
 our little one has succeeded in making herself pleasant, and 
 how well she has played her part. You understand me, don't 
 you, Kathe?" she asked, with an expressive smile, glancing 
 under her upraised arm at Kathe as she spoke. 
 
 " No, I do not understand you," replied the young girl, 
 her breath coming and going quickly with an undefined in- 
 stinct that made her anxious, while she struggled hard to keep 
 down the anger which Flora's tone, more than her words, had 
 provoked. 
 
 "Come, Kathe, let us go," said Henriette, throwing her 
 arms round her stronger sister's waist and leading her toward 
 the door. " I will not allow such treason to be heard by you," 
 she added, stamping her foot with rage. 
 
 " Don't excite yourself about nothing, Henriette!" remarked 
 Flora, laughing. " Here, Kathe, you had better take your 
 jewels and not leave them in the drawing-room, where the 
 servants are constantly coming in and going out." 
 
 But Kathe laid her hand with a childish action behind her 
 as Flora thrust the case toward her. 
 
 " Moriz can take them back again," she replied, shortly, 
 but firmly. "Your grandmamma is quite right, it is not a 
 becoming present: such jewels have no right to ornament my 
 neck." 
 
 " Am I really to believe in such well-acted ingenuousness?' 
 cried Flora, quickly losing her temper. " Nonsense, my dear; 
 such pretended affectation does not become a strong robust 
 girl like you. There is the lace shawl which Moriz brought 
 for grandmamma; it lies there still why? because being more 
 exacting than your sisters who thoroughly understand how it 
 is that a present to you is of ten times the value of theirs she 
 scorns such a gift. And now you pretend that you do not 
 know why such a costly etui is given to you! Bah! little one, 
 don't be so absurdly silly! Have you not heard and seen the 
 alterations going on over there in the pavilion? Every one in 
 the house, even the lowest laborer carrying hods of bricks up
 
 192 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 and down the ladder outside, is aware that those alterations 
 are rooms being prepared for grandmamma's use, in order 
 that the counselor's young wife may reign as queen in these 
 magnificent apartments. Well, little innocent, must I speak 
 still more plainly?" 
 
 The young girl had listened to this tirade with quick-coming 
 breath and a dumb kind of consciousness that what she said 
 was true, and her eyes had a frightened distended look ir> 
 them as if she were watching the gradual approach of a danger 
 she had no power to avert. But as Flora ceased speaking a 
 proud smile flitted for a second round her pale lips, and she 
 said, bitterly, the tones of her voice ringing strangely hard and 
 metallic-like in their sound: 
 
 " You may spare yourself the trouble; I quite understand 
 you at last. You have even more courage than your grand- 
 mother in causing any further stay in this house impossible on 
 my part. " 
 
 "Kathe!" cried Henriette. "No, no, you are making a 
 mistake. Flora has been terribly thoughtless, and wanting in 
 tact, as usual; but in this matter she intended no such allu- 
 sions, I assure you. Did you, Flora?" Then clinging closer 
 to Kathe, and looking piteously up in her face, she went on, in 
 a half-angry, half -tremulous voice: " Why need any such silly 
 remarks drive you away, Kathe? She only said it to tease 
 you. Have you really been so unconscious of the existence of 
 the love Moriz has shown you so plainly on every opportunity? 
 Now, listen; I have over and over again wished to die I do so 
 still; but if I thought it possible that you would some day be 
 mistress here in our old paternal home, why then then 
 
 Kathe suddenly wrenched herself free from the soft en- 
 circling arms, and tossing back her head, her eyes flashing 
 scorn, anger and wounded pride, while her whole girlish figure 
 seemed to dilate with passion, she cried: 
 
 " Never! never!" 
 
 "Ah! never, you say!" said Flora, sarcastically. "Pray, 
 then, is the match not grand enough for you, or what is it? 
 Are you waiting for a ruined count, or perhaps a prince, to 
 come and pluck the rose from the bush and wear it in his heart 
 forever? Only remember that out of the fairy books in real life 
 such things are only done for the sake of the golden fortune 
 accompanying the rose, not for the rose itself. Such mar- 
 riages are common enough nowadays, though every one knows 
 exactly what becomes of the unfortunate wife. If you wish to 
 be constantly reminded that your grandfather followed the 
 plow, and that your grandmother ran about barefooted, then
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 19$ 
 
 marry into a family of proud descent by all means! Any way, 
 I should really like to know what you have against Moriz, or 
 rather why you treat the idea of marrying him so scornfully. 
 You are certainly very rich, but we all know how you got your 
 money. You are young and fresh looking, but you are not 
 beautiful, my dear; and as to your musical talents, which you 
 know how to display on fitting occasions and make the most 
 of, they have been greatly exaggerated by your well-paid mas- 
 ters, who, the moment they lose their reward, will soon cease 
 to praise you." 
 
 " Flora, how can you?" exclaimed Henriette. 
 
 " Silence, child!" Flora went on, putting the little invalid 
 aside with a strong hand. " I am speaking to you for your 
 good, Kathe. Do you want Moriz to be more passionately in 
 love with you than he is? My dear girl, he is no longer a 
 young man anxious to be the hero of some girlish romance. 
 The chief question with you ought to be : Would you ever be 
 chosen for yourself alone? one can never tell in the case of an 
 heiress how it might have been. I don't understand you; up 
 till "now it has pleased you to play the part of a watchful nurse 
 to an extent that few old maids would have willingly done, just 
 because no one especially wished you to do it; and now that 
 Henriette's whole future well-being seems to depend on your 
 staying in the house, you declare your intention of going away. 
 For my part I shall be much more at ease, when I leave here., 
 to know that Henriette is under your kind hands; and Leo, 
 too, will be glad; yet you must have seen how very little he 
 cares about you; he would rather, as you heard just now, have 
 that spoiled, ill-tempered little wretch, Job Brandau, to plague 
 him from morning to night than have you in his house, though, 
 of course, he is very anxious about the welfare of his patient; 
 and, as she is so fond of you, he wo aid like you to stay with 
 her when he leaves here for Leipsic. " 
 
 Henriette did not say a word, but stood leaning her hot 
 cheek against the wall, her mouth quivering with pain at the 
 cruel, bitter tone of her elder sister's remarks to Kathe. 
 
 Kathe, however, on her part, had quite recovered her equa- 
 nimity, and without taking the slightest notice of Flora, she 
 said to Henriette, quietly: 
 
 "You and I know best about that; don't we, dear Hen- 
 riette?" but the lips she pressed tenderly against the invalid 
 girl's cheek were hot and trembling, and her hands were cold 
 as ice, as she added: " You must go to your room now, dar- 
 ling, and lie down after taking your medicine. I shall soon be 
 
 7
 
 194 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 back I won't be away for long/' and without so much as a 
 glance at Flora she turned and left the room. 
 
 " Conceited girl! I believe she is in a rage because I do not 
 think her a beauty, and tbat men like Leo Bruck do not fall 
 down and worship her/' remarked Flora, with a sarcastic curl 
 of her mouth as the door closed on Kathe's retreating figure; 
 and while Henriette silently took up her own pretty delicate 
 present, and closing the necklace-case, carried it away with 
 her to her own apartments, Flora began humming an opera 
 melody. Crossing the corridor, she knocked without hesita- 
 tion at the door of the room where Moriz and Dr. Bruck were 
 talking, and said, gayly, as she put her head inside: 
 
 " What an ungallant pair you are to leave me all alone on 
 my birthday!" 
 
 PART III. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 KATHE wandered for a time aimlessly about the park in 
 order to calm her agitated feelings before presenting herself to 
 the scrutinizing eyes of the old lady in the house by the river- 
 side. She had no wish for " Auntie Diakonus " to see her in 
 her present excited state, for she knew that she would question 
 her so closely as to the cause of her unhappiness that there 
 would be no possibility of escaping from the kind sympathy 
 that would be shown her but by confessing the conversation 
 she had just had with Flora; and perhaps her old friend would 
 also think that it would be best for her to marry the counselor! 
 They had all Flora, Henriette, and the doctor agreed that 
 she ought to do it, but she would resist to the end. They 
 were each and all selfish, but she would not allow herself to be 
 caught in any such golden net. 
 
 In anger and bitterness she stood still for awhile and gazed 
 at the ruin in front of her. She was tired, and had wandered 
 round on this side of the park without taking any heed to the 
 direction in which she was going. 
 
 The sun was fast traveling westward, and shining with 
 broad, purple, and golden tints on the dark background of the 
 forest, and lighting the tiny waves of the stream around the 
 ruin with gleaming, changing colors. The huge form of the 
 tower rose like a black marble monument from the midst of
 
 m THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 195 
 
 the Irughing valley, and at the side stood the thick group of 
 nut-trees through the branches of which scarce a gleam of day- 
 light could penetrate. 
 
 The young girl glanced across the flowing stream to one of 
 the windows of the dark tower with a frown on her brow and 
 an angry expression about her mouth. Inside that room stood 
 the famous iron safe containing her fortune, which up to to- 
 day she had been rather afraid of, but which, now as she stood 
 there gazing gloomily at the glowering tower, she hated as the 
 innocent cause of all her troubles. That square iron chest was 
 to take the place of the warmest feelings of her heart around 
 it all the wishes and longings of her life ^rere to be centered. 
 Whoever told her that he loved her, she would know that he 
 loved her iron box better. Every kindly look, each warm 
 pressure of the hand would only mean that she was the owner 
 of sums of money that were daily increasing in every corner of 
 the globe. Even the rich and noble Counselor Romer, her 
 guardian, wished to be richer still, and to possess, as his own, 
 her large fortune. All this her half-sister Flora had insinuat- 
 ed, and in so doing had wounded the young girl to the inner- 
 most depth of her soul. 
 
 Kathe presently noticed that underneath, in the cellars of 
 the towers, one of the swing windows was partially open. In- 
 side that window she knew that the rich man kept his old and 
 costly wine. Only a few days before, she had accompanied 
 Mme. Urach and her half-sisters, under the guidance of her 
 guardian, to see the new consignment of rich wine that had 
 been ordered on one of his journeys to the capital, and had 
 lately arrived and been placed in the immense vaults which 
 formed the foundation of the grand old ruin. She had felt 
 the cold air fan her cheeks, had enjoyed the earthy odor which 
 met her as she descended the beautifully clean steps leading to 
 the vaults. She had wondered at the exquisite neatness and 
 cleanliness all around her when she reached the vast caves; not 
 a cobweb crossed the roof or hung to the sides of the stone jut- 
 tings. In a room adjoining the vaults, where all the glasses 
 and decanters were kept, every article glittered and shone as 
 bright and clear as when they were on the table in the dining- 
 room. And then in the vault where the rarest and oldest wine 
 was kept, stood the two famous tons of gunpowder looking so 
 fresh and new that Kathe had laughingly remarked that they 
 seemed to grow younger as the wine grew older, and that most 
 likely they were touched up from time to time like the re- 
 nowned spot on the Wartburg. But she did not like this cor- 
 $or, and was glad to get away from it, and wondered involun-
 
 196 IN THE COUNSELORS HOUSE. 
 
 tarily how her guardian could sleep peacefully with such c 
 dangerous enemy so close beneath his apartments. 
 
 Presently Kathe turned away and hurried back through the 
 park in the direction of the house by the river. Several deer 
 sprung across her path and gamboled around her, but to-day 
 she had no bread in her pocket to give them, and she waved 
 them away with her hand. She hurried on and soon reached 
 ihe other turn of the stream, where she could easily distinguish 
 T,he joyous shouts of children at play above the rush of the 
 waters. Evidently the little pupils were romping in the gar- 
 den, and as the sound of their voices reached her ears a warm 
 happy feeling took possession of Kathe 's heart, and helped to 
 banish a great portion of the pain which had been weighing 
 her down for the last hour. These little creatures, with their 
 ringing laughter and innocent eyes, knew nothing about strong- 
 boxes. They did not love her because she was an heiress, but 
 accepted thankfully and without questioning the sweet fruit 
 and bread she gave them, whenever they assembled together 
 for their working lesson. They regarded her in 'no other light 
 than as a kind kentle lady, to whom they could pour out their 
 childish griefs, while feeling assured that sympathy would be 
 given them in return, or whom they could challenge to a game 
 of play in answer to her winsome smile. No, they loved her 
 for herself, and not for the gold her grandfather had left her. 
 
 When Kathe crossed the bridge she could not see the chil- 
 dren as they were playing in the garden behind the house; but 
 she met the maid carrying a basket on her arm, on her way 
 into town to purchase the evening provisions. She, too, had a 
 great affection for Kathe, and dropped her a courtesy and 
 smiled a pleasant welcome to the young girl in answer to her 
 gentle "good-afternoon." 
 
 The hall door stood wide open. Kathe slowly mounted the 
 steps, intending to enter the house and find her way to 
 " auntie's " room, without taking the trouble to announce her 
 presence by ringing at the bell, as she knew the servant was 
 out. But suddenly her feet stood still, for the doctor's voice 
 was saying: 
 
 " No, aunt, it is the noise that bothers me my head achea 
 with it. When I do come here to give myself a little break in 
 my work, I must have rest complete rest. I need it, indeed 
 I do," he added, in a tone of impatience, almost querulous in 
 its sound; " I know I am asking a great sacrifice at your 
 hands, aunt, but still I do ask you to give up these working 
 afternoons during the remaining few months I may be coin- 
 ing here to and fro. During these months I will willingly hire
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 197 
 
 a room In town, and engage a teacher to take your place, BO 
 that the little ones need not be neglected, but " 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, don't talk like that, Leo," interrupt- 
 ed his aunt, quickly; " I had no idea that this plan of mine 
 was disagreeable to you. Not a sound shall disturb you again; 
 trust me, dear boy; I will give it up. There is only one re- 
 gret I have in the matter, Kathe " 
 
 11 Always that girl!" exclaimed the doctor under his breath, 
 as if his patience was beyond control, and he was too weary to 
 conceal the irritated state of his feelings; " you never think of 
 me now." 
 
 " What is the matter with you, Leo? "What do you mean? 
 You surely are not jealous of the love and affection of your old 
 aunt!" exclaimed the elderly lady, half anxiously and half 
 laughing. He did not reply; and the young girl, standing out- 
 side on the doorstep, as if glued to the spot and quite unable 
 to move, heard him begin slowly to pace the floor. 
 
 " Poor little Kathe! I can scarcely believe it possible that 
 there exists a being who could object to such a sweet, innocent 
 young creature's presence," the old lady went on, following 
 her, nephew with her light footsteps; " I have never known a 
 girl who possesses so much sweetness of disposition and purity 
 of mind, mingled with such firm determination of character 
 and true womanly instincts, as my little friend Kathe. I am 
 very much attached to her, for I know her worth; but I did 
 not think that you would ever become so unjust, Leo, as not 
 to be able to endure the presence of any other girl by the side 
 of your superbly beautiful lady-love." 
 
 Kathe started and trembled as she heard the doctor's loud 
 sarcastic laugh ringing through the open window. She invol- 
 untarily turned to fleej but a second later she made up her 
 mind to remain where she was, and to hear how he replied to 
 his aunt's well-meant but unlucky speech. Her cheeks burned 
 with shame, but she did not move. 
 
 " As a rule, aunt, you are a clear-headed, far-seeing woman, 
 but in this instance you have failed to judge rightly," he said, 
 as he laughed again a bitter short laugh; " I won't try to un- 
 deceive you who likes to strike himself in the face? I have 
 only one thing to beg of you, and that is, that you will return 
 to our old habits of being with each other, while I remain here 
 that is, we will always be alone. Formerly, you were happy 
 enough without the society of any young lady; try and be so 
 still, aunt, for I will not have one coming and going while 1 
 am here. " 
 
 " Not even Kathe?"
 
 198 i THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 A sharp rather dull sound, and a general shaking of fur- 
 niture, left Kathe no doubt that this question had been met 
 vith an angry stamp of the foot. 
 
 "Aunt, shall I be forced into " he cried, bitterly, his 
 voice scarcely recognizable. 
 
 " Do as you will, Leo, my boy," interrupted his aunt, 
 startled and wondering at her nephew's strange humor; " you 
 shall have your own way. I will manage as well as I can t(> 
 make the banishment as little painful to the child as possible 
 but good heavens! Leo, how excited you look, and your 
 hands are feverish you must be ill you are working too 
 hard. Ah, well! dear boy, you shall be quiet enough here, de- 
 pend upon that. Let me get you a glass of lemonade?" 
 
 " No, thank you/' he answered, quietly, as he opened the 
 door. Kathe heard his aunt cross over to the kitchen, and a 
 moment or two later the doctor himself appeared on the broad 
 doorstep. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NOT a couple of yards away, Kathe was leaning against the 
 wall, her face pale as ashes, her teeth clinched together, and 
 her eyes staring vacantly before her; she was determined not 
 to see the doctor as he came out. 
 
 He started as he caught sight of her, and for a moment 
 seemed too speechless to utter a sound. 
 
 " Kathe!" he presently exclaimed in a low voice, which 
 trembled as in one awakening from a dream. 
 
 She drew herself together and shuddered ; then slowly walked 
 a few steps away from the wall against which she had been 
 leaning, and when she reached the center of the gravel path- 
 way she asked: 
 
 " What do you want, Herr Doctor?" 
 
 Her whole movement was like an automaton; even as she 
 slightly turned her head over her shoulder, it seemed as if she 
 did it mechanically; and, but for the earnest flashing expres- 
 oion of her eyes, one might have imagined she was in a sleep. 
 
 The young man flushed like a girl as he went nearer to her 
 and asked, doubtingly: 
 ' You have heard?" 
 
 ' Yes," she said abruptly, with a bitter laugh, " every word 
 you uttered; and I was struck with the good sense you evinced 
 in banishing from your house all strange intruders; tl:e walls 
 ears;" and she moved still further away, as if she wished
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 199 
 
 to put as much space as possible between her and the threshold 
 over which she was never again to pass., 
 
 In the meantime he had recovered himself, jmd now strode 
 forward to a garden table on which he flung down his hat, and 
 drawing up his tall figure to its full height looked straight at 
 Kathe with an expression in his face which seemed to say that 
 he was. glad that chance had given him this opportunity, and 
 that through no seeking of his own; he seemed to breathe 
 freely as with a slight gesture he motioned to her to stand 
 still. 
 
 " Fear of being overheard had no part in what I was saying 
 to my aunt. Tin's quiet house has no secret within its walls; 
 and what one shuts up within one's breast has no need to fear 
 being overheard/' he began with quiet earnestness. " You 
 have overheard what I was saying, hence you know that for a 
 time at least I am anxious to be as much alone as possible. I 
 am sorry to have to confess that I am so selfish; I know that 
 you will scarcely understand me if I tell you that there are 
 times when one's own thoughts are a curse, or perhaps it will 
 b$ easier for you to comprehend the pain and agony it might 
 be to drive those away from one's presence who could make 
 home sweetest, and to have to flee from the one of all others 
 one longs most to see. " 
 
 She looked at him with her honest, brave eyes and saw that 
 he was in earnest, saw that he was speaking of himself, of his 
 own pain and agony, that was only too visibly portrayed in his 
 white face and drawn, quivering lips; yet what could he mean? 
 
 He certainly did not flee the presence of his betrothed wife, 
 the children at play behind the house had nothing to do with 
 such painful emotions, so who could it be? There was no one 
 else but herself and herself? Ah, yes! she had involuntarily 
 witnessed two or three painful scenes between him and Flora, 
 and he did not like to be reminded of them, so he made the 
 noise of the pupils an excuse to get rid of her presence about 
 the house. And as these thoughts rushed rapidly through her 
 mind, her features assumed a fixed, incredulous expression, 
 and she answered, coldly: 
 
 ' There is no necessity for you to give any reason for your 
 actions, Doctor Bruck. You are master here, and of course 
 can do as you please. But what a great amount of interest 
 you must take in the old Baroness von Steiner, to sacrifice 
 your love of quiet to her unruly grandson and nursery govern- 
 ess. You offered to have both in your house for several 
 weeks!" 
 
 It was a hard thrust for the young man, but sarcastically
 
 200 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 as the words were uttered, the girl herself had no idea of the 
 sharpness of the wound she was inflicting by her bitter words. 
 
 " No, no, say nothing, not a word, I beg," she went on, 
 passionately drawing nearer to him, and stretching out her 
 hand imploringly as he opened his lips to speak. " I don't 
 want you to give me a polite excuse, and say a word contrary 
 to what you think. Do you imagine I do not know the real 
 cause for this conduct of yours?" She gulped down the angry 
 tears that were rising in her eyes, but her face flushed as she con- 
 tinued, after a second pause: " I have once or twice unfortunate- 
 ly crossed your path at a time when you would have preferred 
 being quiet by yourself, and I can thoroughly appreciate the 
 bitterness of your remark just now when you exclaimed, ' Al- 
 ways that girl!' I have not forgiven myself for my awkward- 
 ness, though it was only on one occasion that I willingly med- 
 dled in your affairs." Again her face flushed painfully. " But 
 you seem determined not to forgive me, and you resent it still 
 without any mercy. " 
 
 The young man made no reply, but closed his lips with a 
 determined expression as if to prevent being tempted into open- 
 ing them. He gazed down at the girl by his side with a 
 strange impassioned earnestness in his eyes, and clinched the 
 hand which rested on the garden table, till the knuckles 
 seemed to start from their sockets. Every line of his hand- 
 some face and the attitude of his whole body betrayed the 
 secret of the man's character, that reserve and strong power 
 over self which rarely failed him, however trying the circum- 
 stance might be. 
 
 " It was greatly against my inclinations that I returned here 
 at all," Kathe went on, after a rapid glance at her compan- 
 ion's grave countenance. " The old lady there," she pointed 
 in the direction of the villa, " poisoned my childish happiness 
 by her cold pride and heartlessness; and the bitter tears she 
 made my dear, kind governess shed by her impertinent man- 
 ners to her I can never forgive or forget. You, yourself, were 
 a witness to the cold reception I had from my proud half-sis- 
 ter when I first arrived, a reception which made me long to 
 turn my back on the villa and take the first train home again 
 to Dresden. Would that I had done it, too!" she added, with 
 a strange pathos in her voice. " Added to all the puffed-up 
 pride of position there is that horrid unbearable haughtiness of 
 riches which seems to pervade the very furniture and air of 
 the villa," the girl went on, " and which hinders every ex- 
 pression of feeling and naturalness. My whole heart and soul 
 rebel against living in such an atmosphere. And then
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 201 
 
 kere I found it so home-like" she stretched out her arm to- 
 ward the old-fashioned house and garden, and her face softened 
 with a sweet yearning look ' ' here I could have forgotten my 
 Dresden home, but why, I know not myself." Then her 
 eyes brightened and her countenance glowed with inward 
 emotion, as she went on again after a pause, " I think your 
 dear old aunt has bewitched me. Her noble, simple appea*r- 
 ance is an incentive in itself to try and imitate her peaceful 
 life. She does me good, and soothes and comforts me when I 
 am perplexed and in difficulty. She goes about her work from 
 morning till night so gently and noiselessly, and although one 
 rarely hears a reproof from her lips, never a harsh word, she 
 still does more good by her example than anyone I know; and 
 whatever she thinks right she does, no matter if it is for or 
 against the world's opinion. You can't tell how pleasant this 
 is in contrast to the spirit of the people at the villa, where 
 everything is sacrificed for society and appearance, even to 
 truth and honorable dealing." And as she finished speaking 
 Kathe knit her brows together and flung away, with an impa- 
 tient gesture, a tiny branch of blossom she had snatched from 
 a bush at her side and broken into several pieces. 
 
 This movement seemed to rouse the silent man before her 
 into life. A flush mounted to his forehead and his eyes flashed. 
 
 " You have forgotten one virtue, my aunt, the ' dear, kind 
 old lady/ possesses, and that is mildness in judgment/' he 
 said abruptly and sharply. " Never would she condemn 
 another in the way you have just done, because she knows how 
 easy it is to misunderstand another's motives for actions, and 
 how possible it is to err in our judgment or to be mistaken in 
 our own strength and power to do right." 
 
 He spoke sternly and with more excitement in his manner 
 than Kathe had ever noticed before; he seemed to forget his 
 habitual reserve and to be eager only to prove her in the 
 wrong. Although she drooped her eyelids till their long lashes 
 touched her hot cheeks, Kathe felt she was right and that he 
 was weak as water in his love for her beautiful sister. His 
 aversion to herself was unaccountable; but for this, she felt 
 she must to a large extent blame, not him, but herself. With 
 this comforting thought she raised her eyes and threw back 
 her head, and was about to speak when she was interrupted by 
 the appearance of the children. 
 
 They had turned the corner of the house, in search of one of 
 their companions, when they caught sight of Kathe, and a 
 moment later they sprung around her, shouting with glee and 
 delight at her arrival. They took no notice of the stern,
 
 202 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 f rave-looking man standing near her, but nestled close to their 
 ind friend, taking her hands, touching her dress, while one or 
 two of the little ones held up their rosy mouths for the kiss she 
 had ever been ready to bestow. 
 
 Kathe smiled on all of them, but not with her usual bright 
 sunny smile. The little ones, however, did not observe any 
 change in her, but pressed closer to her, till she seemed over- 
 whelmed with their caresses. Ere she had time to say a word 
 of welcome to any of them, the grave face of the doctor grew 
 graver, an angry impatient expression escaped from his lips, 
 and he ordered the children back to their play-ground behind 
 the house, sternly forbidding them to appear again on this side 
 of the garden till they were called, or had leave to come back. 
 
 They obeyed him at once after an astonished glance in his 
 face, and a moment later Kathe and he were alone again. 
 
 The young girl bit her lip and watched the retreating figures 
 of the children. When the last one had disappeared behind 
 the stone jutting, she said, in a tone which betrayed a mixture 
 of anger and sorrow: 
 
 " How willingly I would go after them, and comfort them, 
 but of course I can not think of returning one step over the 
 ground I have traversed for the last time. " 
 
 " You would like to comfort them!" remarked the doctor, 
 mockingly. " Do you rank me then now as great a tyrant as 
 awhile ago you thought me weak? Console yourself! children 
 carry their own comfort with them. Laughter and weeping 
 live side by side within them. Listen to them now; that does 
 not sound as if they needed comforting!" he added, with a 
 fleeting attempt at a smile, as he pointed over his shoulder in 
 the direction whence came the noise. " I would bet anything 
 that is about me and my harshness. It was for your sake ftiat 
 I drove the sheep back into their pen ; I could not bear to see 
 them pulling you about like that. How can you like it your- 
 self? The children are so badly brought up " 
 
 " Because they love me. Thank God they do, and also that 
 I can believe in them at least!" she cried out, impetuously, 
 clasping her hands on her bosom. " Would you have me be- 
 lieve that they, too, only care for me for my money's sake, that 
 their tender loving noisy caresses are bestowed on me just and 
 only because of my immense fortune? No, no, I will not be- 
 lieve it; I am sure that they love me for myself, and I will not 
 let myself be convinced of the contrary. It is of no earthly 
 use to try to do so even; I will believe in the children!" she 
 cried, with a piteous attempt at a smile. 
 
 He stepped back in surprise.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 203 
 
 " What a very strange idea " 
 
 " Why strange? Do you think it is so very wonderful, then, 
 that at last I have been startled from my childish dream, that 
 true warm feelings and noble aspirations were of value in the 
 world? awoke to learn that such things, such sentiments were 
 of secondary importance where money is concerned? Is it 
 nothing to lose one's confidence in all that is good, and to 
 oe laughed at for distinguishing between good and bad, truth 
 and falsehood? It is a fearful shock suddenly to discover that 
 all I have hitherto lived for and believed in is of no account 
 by the side of the hollow falseness of the world." 
 
 The young doctor silently turned his eyes from her express- 
 ive face, pale and worn-looking with the exitement of her 
 present state, but she heaved a deep sigh and went on, passion- 
 ately, after a slight pause: 
 
 " You asked me at our very first interview how I felt with 
 my suddenly acquired riches; I am only now in a position to 
 answer you that question rightly. It seems to me as if I had 
 been plunged into a sea of gold, from whence no one cares to 
 draw me for my own sake, but only for the sake of the golden 
 waves which flow around me. " 
 
 " How came you to have such a very odd impression as 
 that?" asked the young man in a troubled tone of voice. 
 
 " You can ask me such a question!" she replied, laughing 
 bitterly; " ask it me when you must know that hourly and 
 daily at the villa I am forced into recognizing the omnipotence 
 of my wealth, and made to understand that it, and it alone, is 
 the only thing about me worth any consideration. In my dear 
 old Dresden home I was often caressingly called the ' favorite 
 of the fairies/ but here they tell me I was petted and made 
 much of because my old Lucas and her kind husband knew 
 what I was worth in gold; my masters exaggerated the extent 
 of my musical tastes for the sake of the heavy fees I paid 
 them, and now my guardian makes love to his ward because 
 because of her rich inheritance." 
 
 At first, while speaking, the excited girl had gazed in front 
 of her over the rolling water and fields and meadows, but with 
 her last words she looked him straight in the face, and watched 
 him earnestly for a moment as if anxious to understand why 
 he started so violently and shivered visibly. 
 
 " Is that a fact?" he stammered out as he passed his hands 
 quickly over his brow. " And does it pain you so deeply that 
 Moriz thinks thus of you?" he asked after a momentary pause. 
 
 His voice was so broken, his look so eager that she was sur- 
 prised and perplexed.-
 
 204 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " It pains me much more to hear how every one thinks that 
 he or she has a right to interfere in the matter," she replied, 
 drawing up her little rounded youthful figure to its full height, 
 and unconsciously assuming a maidenly dignity of demeanor 
 that greatly enhanced her beauty. Then shaking her heac} 
 dubiously, she went on, with a bitter smile playing around her 
 lips: " Such a poor little fish as I am, too! I have as much as 
 I can do to keep myself from being caught in the net of selfish- 
 ness, or being made into a ball to be tossed from here to there, 
 but I will not allow it; no, I will not!" she added with energy. 
 " And you too, doctor, you are as bad as the others. You also 
 belong to those at the villa, who imagine that because I am a 
 young girl without any fixed natural home, that I ought to 
 have all my wishes and actions ruled and ordered according to 
 the caprice of those around me, without staying to consider if 
 I have any right or inclination to conform to these orders. 
 You coolly banish me from your aunt's presence, and yet you 
 would like to hang a chain round my neck and force me to re- 
 main at the villa. I should like to know very much indeed 
 why you join in such arbitrary proceedings, or rather no 
 her lips quivered and her eyes filled with tears. " I will ask 
 you with Henriette, ' what have I done that you shwi roe at 
 every turn?' ' 
 
 She spoke clearly, almost sharply in her passionate eager- 
 ness, and forgetful of her lately assumed dignity, bent her 
 head forward and raised her tear-dimmed eyes to his. 
 
 " Silence, Kathe; silence! not a word more!" he exclaimed, 
 in a hoarse whisper, seizing her left wrist so tightly that she 
 shrunk back, frightened at the vehemence her words had roused 
 in the hitherto stern, proud, passive young man. 
 
 " Did I not know for certain that there is not a trace of 
 coquetry or falseness in your nature, I should be obliged to 
 think that you were adopting the most refined of all cruel 
 tortures to wrench a hidden bitter secret from me," and let- 
 ting go her haiid he muttered, in a thick voice; " but you shall 
 not; no, by heavens, you shall not!" 
 
 He crossed his arms on his breast and moved a few steps 
 away from her, then suddenly turning and facing the fright- 
 ened girl, who seemed rooted to the spot, he said, quietly: 
 
 " I, in my turn, should like to know to what you refer by 
 saying that I have fastened a chain round your neck to keep 
 you at the villa. It interests me may I hear what you 
 mean?" he added, as he retraced his steps till he again stood 
 in front of her. 
 
 Kathe blushed scarlet, and for a moment hesitated, as a shy
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOTJSE. 205 
 
 reserved feeling made her inclined to be silent, but a glance at 
 his grave face reassured her, and she answered, gently: 
 
 " You wish me to be become mistress at the villa, and " 
 
 " I I?" he stared incredulously at her for a moment, then 
 burst into a peal of hollow laughter, the same kind of laughter 
 whiclj had startled Kathe so much when he was talking to his 
 aunt. "Why do you ask me me such a question? Why 
 should I wish to see you mistress at the villa?" he asked, forc- 
 ing himself to be quiet and his voice to be steady. 
 
 " Flora told me that you were anxious that Henriette should 
 not be left alone/' she answered, with a simple straightfor- 
 wardness. " You are pleased to be content with the care and 
 affection I naturally bestow on my poor, delicate sister; and in 
 order to assure to her the same care for the future, and to 
 secure the counselor's house the old family house as hers 
 forever, you think it would be well at least so I am informed 
 for me to become my guardian's wife." 
 
 " And you believe that I am at the bottom of such an in- 
 ^rigue? Do you really believe it? Have you forgotten so soon 
 that it is, or rather was, entirely against my expressed wish 
 that you devoted yourself to nursing your sister and prolonging 
 your visit at the villa?" 
 
 " Things have changed very much since then," she replied, 
 quickly and bitterly. " You will leave this in September for 
 good, and I do not see how, after that, it can matter to you 
 who comes and goes at the villa. Your comfort will then no 
 longer be interfered with by a person for whom you have no 
 sympathy ' 
 
 " Kathe!" he stammered, under his breath. 
 
 " Well, doctor?" she said, quietly, keeping her head erect 
 and looking him straight in the face. " The reason for such 
 an arrangement was plain enough for any one who was not as 
 blind as I have been to what was going on around me," she 
 added, in a tone of voice as if she had suddenly acquired years 
 of experience in worldly matters. " One can see the reason 
 for it all," she went on, quietly; but her lips quivered as she 
 spoke. " The whole household arrangements could remain as 
 they are no stranger need enter the family. Comfort and 
 luxury would remain in the villa, as also in the apartments up 
 there in the tower; nothing need be altered not even my iron 
 strong-box need be moved from its place in Moriz's private 
 smoking den! It was all splendidly planned 
 
 " And pleased you so much that you do not hesitate for a 
 second to remain/' he interrupted eagerly, his breath heaving, 
 his whole attitude betokening angry impatience, as if he would
 
 206 IN THE COUNSELOR'S Hotisfi. 
 
 greedily snatch the words from her lips before they were 
 uttered. 
 
 " No, Doctor Bruck; you are triumphing over me too soon," 
 3he cried in answer, as a sudden light broke over her sweet 
 face, and her cheeks grew a rosy red. " I am obstinate, and 
 do not intend remaining in spite of these charming arrange- 
 ments. I am going away going to-day even. I came over 
 from the villa awhile ago to bid farewell to your aunt, and to 
 tell her I was going back to Dresden; and even then I should 
 have smiled most probably over your decree of banishment, if 
 it had not pained me so much. My sisters have only just 
 opened my eyes to the ' happiness ' that was planned out for 
 my future life. At the moment I felt that there was no other 
 road for me to take but the one which led straight from the 
 drawing-room to the railway-station, and thence home to Dres- 
 den and I should have taken it had I not remembered in time 
 that this was the afternoon on which I had promised your 
 aunt to help her with the children, so I came here first to say 
 good-bye. I shall not be away for very long, only long enough 
 to convince Moriz that neither now nor in the future will I 
 tolerate any other sentiment from him than that of kindly in- 
 terests in my affairs, and that he neither can nor ever will be 
 dearer to me than as the kind guardian chosen for me by my 
 father, for whom I have great respect, but not one atom of 
 love." 
 
 Her bosom heaved as she spoke, and her face flushed to the 
 roots of her hair with shame. But one could see that, cost 
 what it might, she was determined to let the young man stand- 
 ing before her his eager eyes looking straight into hers with a 
 searching glance that wrenched the truth from her almost in 
 spite of herself to let him know that whatever plans had been 
 made for her in reference to the counselor, she, at least, had 
 no intention of carrying them out, and that as far as her feel- 
 ings for her guardian were concerned, she was heart-whole. 
 
 " Since that day when we carried Henriette into your house, 
 Herr Doctor, a warm affection has sprung up on her side for 
 your aunt," Kathe continued, avoiding his eyes as much as 
 she could. " I was very glad of this; and awhile ago, when I 
 resolved to return to Dresden, I meant to ask your aunt to 
 kindly foster this love, and allow Heuriette to come and see 
 her as much as possible. But now of course all that is altered, 
 and she would not dream of trespassing on ground from which 
 I have been banished. I will write to ' auntie ' from Dresden, 
 for I would not go back even those few steps/' and she point'
 
 IN THE COUNSELORS HOUSE. 20? 
 
 ed toward the house with a proud gesture, " after your ex- 
 pressed wish not to be troubled with my presenca " 
 
 She turned slowly and walked quietly past him, bowing 
 slightly as she said: 
 
 ?t Farewell, Ilerr Doctor!" 
 
 When she reached the old rustic bridge she turned to take 
 one last look at the old house. The children were peeping 
 round the side of the stone jutting, with wonder and astonish- 
 ment depicted on their bright little faces, scarcely able to be- 
 lieve the evidence of their eyes when they saw Kathe move in 
 the direction of the bridge, instead of joining them in the gar- 
 den, according to her unfailing habit hitherto. They would 
 have run over to her and shouted out their surprise at the 
 strange behavior if they had not been in too much awe of the 
 stern, tall gentleman leaning against the wall. Kathe's eyes 
 wandered from the house to the spot she had just left, and no 
 sooner did she catch sight of the doctor, holding on to the table 
 as if afraid of falling to the earth, his face pale and his eyes 
 staring wildly before him, than she sprung forward, dashed like 
 lightning to his side, and, laying her warm soft hands on his, 
 exclaimed, under her breath: 
 
 " Are you ill, Doctor Brack? What is the matter?" 
 
 " No, Kathe, not ill; but weak weak, as you accused me 
 of being just now," he answered, wearily, as if waking from a 
 dream; and lifting his hand he pushed the hair from his brow. 
 Then he added, roughly and suddenly, bending toward her till 
 his hot breath fanned her cheek: 
 
 " Go, child, go! Can't you see how I suffer, and that each 
 look of yours, each kindly word, stabs me to the heart? Go, 
 only go!" but ere she had time to obey his harsh request he 
 stooped his head and pressed his hot, burning lips in one long, 
 passionate kiss on the little hand which lay on his. 
 
 The girl started and turned pale, but her heart gave one 
 great bound of joy, and a feeling of sweet tenderness for the 
 suffering man stole through her as the words rose to her lips: 
 " No, I will not go; you need me now." 
 
 But she checked them ere they were uttered, and glancing 
 for a second at the bowed head and the outstretched hand 
 pointing so beseechingly toward the bridge, she turned away 
 hurriedly, and swift as if an avenging angel were behind her, she 
 flew across the meadows and under the shade of the park trees, 
 not staying her flight till she had reached the close proximity 
 of the villa. 
 
 A few hours later, with her face concealed behind a veil and 
 ft small traveling-bag in her hand, Kuthe silently descended a
 
 SOS IN" THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 side u *,. . ^se and left the house as suddenly and unexpectedly 
 as she h'acT arrived. 
 
 Henriette had shed many bitter tears, but she had unhesi- 
 tatingly acknowledged that perhaps Kathe was right in thus 
 quitting the shelter of her guardian's roof for a brief period, 
 m consideration of Flora's great want of tact when speaking 
 on the subject of Moriz's intentions toward her. She had also 
 agreed to Kathe's plan of returning at once to her Dresden 
 home, and from thence writing to explain her wishes, and she 
 promised to announce her departure as soon as the train had 
 gone about an hour. She kissed Kathe with a convulsive heav- 
 ing of the chest, but she helped her to pack a few things 
 together, made her drink a cup of tea, kissed her again, and 
 then let her go, standing at the top of the winding staircase to 
 watch her exit from the house. 
 
 When Kathe reached the ground-floor she had to employ 
 some little address to pass out unnoticed. The gas was burn- 
 ing brightly in every corner of the large outer hall and side 
 corridors, several footmen were loitering about assisting the 
 guests, who were now beginning to arrive in rapid succession. 
 
 Once Kathe had to hide behind an immense group of flower? 
 to avoid being seen by a beautifully dressed lady who stood 
 aside to arrange some fault in her toilet, and while waiting she 
 saw the drawing-room door open opposite, and Flora, magnifi- 
 cently arrayed in pale rose color and lace, receiving the guests 
 assembled in her honor, with her fair false face unclouded by 
 a single painful regret for the mischief she had willfully and 
 wickedly wrought. 
 
 With a deep sigh but a firm tread, Kathe hurried across the 
 side hall and out into the park; and while the maid upstairs 
 was arranging her ball-dress and wondering why her young 
 lady did not come to be attired for the evening festivities, she 
 walked quickly over to the mill, knocked at Franz's window, 
 and without giving him a word of explanation, ordered him to 
 accompany her at once to the station, to catch the next train, 
 due in half an hour, for Dresden. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SINCE then three months have passed away, during which 
 Kathe gave herself up to the study of music with a feverish 
 passion and earnestness which she hoped would produce for- 
 getf ulness and bring its own reward a peaceful heart. She 
 had been kept informed of the doings at the villa by Henriette, 
 who sent her every week a kind of diary which was written
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 209 
 
 day by day, but only dispatched to Dresden about twice a fort- 
 night. Thus she had been able to gather that Mme. TJrach 
 had rather blessed Heaven in a graiid way for her sudden flight 
 from the villa, and that Flora had merely shrugged her shoul- 
 ders and declared it was just a girlish proceeding and one not 
 at all to be wondered at from such an impulsive young lady as 
 Kathe. . Then, too, she learned through the same source that 
 Henriette had announced her abrupt departure to the coun- 
 selor while quietly sitting in the music-room; that he grew 
 white and angry at the news, and but for the presence of their 
 guests a terrible family quarrel would have ensued; Flora had 
 happily averted it by her cold indifference to family emotions, 
 and the fascination of manner she chose on this occasion to dis- 
 play, to hide their host's gloom and preoccupation. Flora's 
 lover, Dr. Bruck, had not been able to put in an appearance 
 at all during the evening, in consequence of being called away 
 to the bedside of a patient dangerously ill. 
 
 A day or two following Kathe 's arrival in Dresden, she had 
 received a letter from her guardian stating that before the 
 month of June was out he would be in Dresden himself to 
 "demand an explanation" of her "strange conduct." But 
 as time rolled onward, Henriette's weekly dispatch mentioned 
 the constant arrival of telegrams from Berlin, where the coun- 
 selor was staying on business, without any immediate hope of 
 his being free to travel as far as Dresden for some time to 
 come. Thus the visit was put off indefinitely, and after 
 awhile even his hasty scrawls grew less and less, till at last a 
 remittance reached her for the first time through the hands of 
 a clerk. 
 
 Kathe breathed freely at last the conflict she had so dread- 
 ed was evidently not to take place, and her guardian had 
 understood from her letters that he had nothing to hope for 
 either in the present or the future. Hence she now considered 
 that she was at liberty to return to the villa and resume her 
 care of Henriette. But Mme. Lucas strenuously opposed any 
 such proposition, and declared that Kathe had altered so much 
 during her stay with her invalid sister, had lost so much color, 
 and so much of her happy, joyous brightness, that she was 
 sure it was best for her to remain where she was till she had 
 become quite strong, and had regained the glooming rosiuesa 
 of her cheeks. " Besides," she added, to clinch her argument, 
 " Madame Steiner is staying, as you know, at the villa, and 
 what with her son's governess and her personal attendants, 1 
 am sure there is not the smallest chance of your finding a 
 spare room to sleep in. "
 
 210 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 But Kathe herself shrunk from returning to the villa until 
 after Flora's marriage and her consequent removal to Leipsic. 
 She knew that it would be quite impossible for her to try and 
 maintain an outward show of peace, in the midst of the many 
 conflicting relations she would have to pass through, if sho 
 lived under the same roof as her sisters, for the few months be 
 fore the wedding. It required, indeed, all the powers of dis- 
 simulation she could call to her aid to hide from the loving 
 eyes of her Dresden home that she had lost her peace of mind, 
 that her heart ached, and that she had unconsciously at first, 
 it is true grown to care for a man who was bound in honor 
 and by every outward social tie to her sister, and whom to 
 think of the world would call sin. 
 
 As yet Henriette had not urged her to return, in spite of 
 her oft-repeated longings for her presence, but she spoke in 
 glowing terms of " Auntie Diakonus's " great kindness to her, 
 and of how she did all in her power to make the lonely invalid 
 girl's life less lonely than it was. The weekly letters 
 contained long accounts of everything that transpired at the 
 house by the river in fact the doctor and his aunt were the 
 two principal personages mentioned on every page and from 
 the death of a tiny yellow chicken to the gathering of the 
 grapes in the grape-house, Henriette retailed for Kathe 's bene- 
 fit their daily life, their daily joys and sorrows, the ins and 
 outs of their domestic affairs, and, as well as she could, the im- 
 pression all these things made on the two beings so dear to her 
 heart. Here and there the leaves of the letter would be 
 marked with traces of tears, especially when the subject was 
 Flora but not a word did she write of Flora's relations with 
 her lover; only now and again she would burst forth into 
 strong lamentations that the increasing practice of the latter 
 left him very little time to visit the villa, and once that he was 
 growing so irritable and impatient that his whole nature 
 seemed changed. 
 
 And thus the time slipped away, till there were only a few 
 days left before the wedding. Flora had as yet sent no invita- 
 tion to her young step-sister in Dresden. " Her head is so 
 full of all the entertainments being given in her honor," Hen- 
 riette wrote, " that she seems unable to think of anything 
 else," and that accounted for her being as "capricious as 
 ever." " We have hardly time to breathe now, and what it 
 will be when the wedding gayeties begin at home, I must leave 
 you to judge for yourself, Kathe," she added, in another let- 
 ter, and then went on to say that she was already worn out with 
 the confusion and whirl around her, and that she looked for-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 311 
 
 ward with dread to the eventful day. as she knew that " auntie " 
 was so wrapped up in her own grief at parting with her nephew 
 that she would be of no use to her, and on no account would 
 she face the festivities attendant on the marriage alone. Day 
 after day the poor girl wrote in this strain, till one evening, 
 about three days before the wedding, Kathe received a tele- 
 gram begging her to " come at once! I am very ill. " 
 
 There was no refusing such an appeal. Even Mme. Lucas 
 was forced to acknowledge that Kathe ought to go and takb 
 care of her sister at such a trying time. And Kathe herself? 
 When she first read the telegram demanding her presence at 
 the villa she shivered with a nervous dread of what might be 
 awaiting her there but her next thought was one of jubilant 
 delight, that she would at least see him, who was so soon to 
 become her brother-in-law, once again ere he became her sis- 
 ter's husband. 
 
 And so it happened that one fine September morning Kathe 
 stood again in the old familiar Mill-house parlor, awaiting her 
 breakfast, after traveling all night in the train. She had only 
 just arrived from the station, where she had been met by old 
 Franz, according to her expressed wish. 
 
 The room in which she was standing was shaded from the 
 full glare of daylight by the rich chestnut-trees in front of the 
 windows; the air was perfumed with the smell of roses, helio- 
 trope, and mignonette, which filled the vases on the table and 
 stand. A snow-white counterpane covered the bed in the 
 alcove; and on the exquisitely clean deal table in the center of 
 the parlor stood the old-fashioned coffee-urn, steaming hot 
 with the welcome beverage, while a fresh-baked cake, covered 
 with sugar, was placed by the side of a cup and saucer of rare 
 and old china that had once belonged to Kathe's grand- 
 mother. 
 
 The floor beneath her feet vibrated with the turning of the 
 mill-wheels in the room below; she heard the cooing of tha 
 doves through the open windows, and the splash of the water 
 against the wheel of the turn-mill outside. She was at home 
 in her own house, and here she determined to remain, no mat- 
 ter how much Mme. Urach might turn up her nose at the in- 
 tercourse between the villa and the Mill-house. She would go 
 to and fro to see Henriette, stay with her as long as possible 
 during the day; but nothing should induce her again to take 
 up her abode at the villa while she had it in her power to re- 
 main where she was. 
 
 The girl was very silent as she sat at her breakfast. She 
 dreaded her first visit to the villa with a strange palpitation
 
 212 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 of the heart that made her feel angry and vexed with herself; 
 and a painful longing crept over her to see the old house by 
 the river, the weather-cock of which was just discernible 
 through the trees in the distance. But her cheeks flushed as 
 she recalled to her memory the fact that she had been ban- 
 ished from that house by its master, whose grave, earnest face 
 she had first met in the very room where she was now sitting. 
 And then a wild longing sprung up in her heart to see him 
 again. She could not forget him; for she knew now had 
 known for a long time that she loved him with all the pas- 
 sionate warmth of her nature. It tortured her to know it. 
 She struggled against it with all her strength of will, but she 
 could not forget him. 
 
 Then she rose and went to the window, which commanded a 
 view of the spinning manufactory formerly belonging to the 
 counselor, her guardian. Her attention was arrested by a 
 number of people congregated together around the public en- 
 trance, and her thoughts flew off to a conversation she had 
 heard between two of her fellow-travelers in the train, in which 
 one and the other alternately expressed great apprehensions of 
 danger from the present insubordinate state of the working 
 classes. The topic had been often discussed in her presence 
 during the past few months in Dresden, and ref erence had been 
 made over and over again to the disgraceful attempts in the 
 forest on Flora by a few of the female mill hands, as an exam- 
 ple of the pass things were coming to with the lower orders. 
 
 As she stood at the window Kathe heard the murmur of 
 human voices above the sound of the cooing of the doves and 
 the splash of the water on the turning wind-mill. She watched 
 the crowd swaying to and fro with excited gesticulations, as on 
 that day in the spring when the mill hands had been informed 
 that their master had sold his manufactory to a company of 
 stock-brokers. This company had failed, and the machines 
 being all stopped, the workmen were in a state of agitatioii 
 and anger. 
 
 " It's always so," said old Franz, who had just brought in 
 Kathe's trunk, and was now looking out of the window at her 
 side. " The men were well off before, but they were always 
 grumbling then. Now they have had a change of masters. 
 See, there they are, none the better for it either; changing 
 their horses for donkeys, and getting a bad time of it. Each 
 Lopes to gain by bad practices, but you see it won't do; and 
 one can hardly find it in one's heart to blame the youngsters 
 when their elders set them such a pitiful example. 
 
 " Honorable dealings with rich and poor, those are my idoss
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 213 
 
 ff honesty," continued old Franz, gently tapping the table 
 with his rough fingers; " and that's the best way of earning a 
 good sound sleep every night. Those who don't understand 
 the art of speculating, have no right to meddle with it. 
 There's the master there, the counselor: he understands it 
 right well, and is as safe as a trivet, because he has a steady 
 head, cool judgment, and plenty of sense." Then, putting 
 his forefinger to his nose, he added, knowingly : ' ' He came 
 back yesterday from Berlin; I saw him at the station, where I 
 had gone with some grain. And didn't he make his two roans 
 fly like the wind! He knows what is what, if anyone does. 
 The people down there are saying that he must have returned 
 from some successful transaction, he looks so contented and 
 happy. He has been a precious long time away; and he 
 wouldn't have returned to-night if it were not the eve of the 
 wedding, and grand doings are going on, I can tell you, frau- 
 lein." 
 
 The eve of the wedding ! so soon ! Kathe had known that 
 the marriage was fixed for the following day, and that im- 
 mediately after the ceremony the young couple were to start 
 on a journey. She had read it over and over again in Hen- 
 riette's weekly letters; but now that old Franz mentioned the 
 fact by word of mouth, it seemed as if she had heard it for 
 the first time this morning; and in so hearing it experienced a 
 dull, heavy, aching pain at her heart that made her catch 
 her breath and feel inclined to cry out aloud. 
 
 " Yes, indeed, there are to be grand doings," remarked 
 Susanne, while pouring out the fragrant coffee and handing it 
 to her young mistress. " Only yesterday the counselor's but- 
 ler was telling me that so many guests have been invited he 
 doesn't believe there will be room for 'em all. There are to 
 be private theatricals too, and several young ladies are coming 
 from town dressed in costume, and cart-loads of green foliage 
 have been fetched from the forest to ornament the stages ; and 
 there is to be dancing and charades, and fun of all sorts, as 
 there always is, thank God, on the eve of every wedding in 
 this blessed country. I am rejoiced you've come, fraulein, to 
 join in the festivities. Fraulein Henriette will Just go stark 
 mad from joy, poor, suffering lamb!" 
 
 It was toning eleven by the great tower clock as Kathe left 
 the Mill-house on her way to the villa, and a moment after she 
 heard the clear metallic ring of the spinning manufactory clock 
 strike out the same hour as she passed across the court-yard; 
 but directly she had closed the private door leading from the 
 mill to the park she found herself surrounded by a deep intense
 
 214 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 stillness which was much more in harmony with her present 
 mood than the chattering of old Snsaniie about the affairs at 
 the villa, or the noise of the grinding machines at the mill. 
 
 Franz was right when he said that the counselor " under- 
 stood the art of speculating " to a successful end. Everything 
 iround her bespoke the owner of this beautiful place as a rich 
 man. Before her stretched a gleaming mirror of water in 
 'vhich the bright, sunny tints of the blue heavens above were 
 reflected, and the lovely foliage of the trees around shaded here 
 and there into the rich brown, yellow, and red of autumn 
 formed a striking and exquisite contrast to the glitter and 
 sheen of the miniature lake. This lake had been finished far 
 sooner than Kathe had any idea was possible in such an im- 
 mense undertaking, and that too was another proof of the 
 riches possessed by her guardian. Swans were arching their 
 graceful necks on the surface of the shining water, and on the 
 opposite side a tiny boat was moored to the steps of a prettily 
 built boat-house. 
 
 Wandering along under the trees, she noticed how beautifully 
 the park was kept not a handful of dead leaves could have 
 been gathered from the paths not a weed nor a blade of grass 
 were to be seen on the cleanly swept walks, injured branches 
 were carefully pruned away from contact with healthy ones, 
 and even the ivy was trained to hang in graceful festoons from 
 tree to tree, and to cling to various huge moss-covered stones 
 laid about for the purpose. Numbers of gardeners were em- 
 ployed on this work all the year round, and this, as Kathe 
 vaguely thought to herself, was again a proof of the wealth 
 possessed by her guardian. 
 
 She wandered on, and presently turned into the winding 
 linden avenue which led to the house. Never before had Kathe 
 felt so unwilling to enter that fairy castle, looking so bright 
 and gleaming in the sunlight, as she did now. Involuntarily 
 she clasped her hands to her bosom, as she came in sight of its 
 proud turrets and polished balconies, and the flag waving over 
 the chimney-pots, a sure sign of the festivities going on beneath 
 its roof. The blood mounted to her brow as she remembered 
 that she had not been invited; yet there she was, about to en- 
 ter its portals and join in the amusements arranged for others. 
 It was a great proof of her sisterly affection that she could 
 thus lay aside her pride for the sake of Henriette's welfare. 
 It had required a great struggle with herself, but love had 
 triumphed over pride, and here she was within a few yards of 
 the grand entrance to the house she had left three months ago, 
 like a fugitive fleeing before an enemy. Raising her eyes to
 
 THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 215 
 
 the "balcony 3he saw Mme. TJrach's favorite clog snapping and 
 barking at every one who entered the room, and on the left of 
 one of the windows a parrot was screaming as loud as it could, 
 in angry defiance at the dog's howling. 
 
 When Kathe reached the hall a lady was crossing to a room 
 on the opposite side, with a lace pocket-handkerchief held to 
 her eyesj and evidently weeping bitter floods of tears. Kathe 
 recognized her as the wife of an officer in the army whose ex- 
 travagant dress was one of the topics of scandal in town. 
 
 ' ' Her husband will have to pay up now the very bed will 
 be taken from under him/' Kathe heard one of the servants 
 say in the room of the hall devoted to the footmen; " and 
 serve him right too! What business had an officer like the 
 major to go speculating in things he did not understand? And 
 there goes his wife, who has been begging the counselor to help 
 them out of their difficulties. If he were to begin opening his 
 purse to all those who have come to grief in this last smash, 
 which involves the spinning manufactory, why he might as 
 well pick up a staif and go begging himself, for he wouldn't 
 have a penny left." 
 
 Kathe shuddered as the heartless words fell on her ears, and 
 mechanically mounted the broad staircase leading to the rooms 
 she had occupied in the spring. Hearing no movement within, 
 she opened the door and went in. She noticed in a moment 
 that the room had not been put in order for another guest since 
 Baroness Steiner's departure. Some of the furniture had been 
 removed, and in its place two or three long tables were stand- 
 ing against the walls covered with heaps of linen and articles 
 of apparel that evidently formed part of the bridal trousseau. 
 From a mahogany-tree in the center of the apartment hung a 
 shining mass of cream-colored satin covered in part with costly 
 lace, and ornamented with orange-blossoms and myrtle, and 
 although it hung from a high stand, the train of the drapery 
 lay low on the floor around for the space of several feet. 
 
 " Flora's wedding finery!" said Kathe to herself as she 
 closed the door, and a moment or two later she found her way 
 into Henriette's room, where the suffering girl received her 
 with a wild scream of delight and fond words of endearment 
 that warmed her heart and made her forget for the time being 
 the effort it had cost her to answer the telegram in person. 
 
 Henriette was quite alone. No one had any time for her, 
 she complained. The counselor monopolized Flora's entire 
 attention in arranging the marriage festivities, for he was tak- 
 ing this opportunity of showing to the town that he knew how 
 to do things on a grand scale, and that money was no object
 
 216 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 to him when once he had made up his mind to spend it, 
 Lately he seemed to have a sort of craving to spend money, 
 and to have all the arrangements for the marriage carried out 
 on a regal scale. Then she informed Kathe that she had not 
 told any one about the telegram, adding, as she saw Kath/s 
 eyes open with astonishment and her head shake deprecating- 
 ly: "It was quite unnecessary, dear; I have always told them 
 that you would come back soon, and they ought to know for 
 themselves that in my weak state I need you now to nurse me 
 more than last spring." Then seeing an anxious look on 
 Kathe's face, she comforted her by saying that there was noth- 
 ing to fear from the counselor's attentions, as he had found 
 some one else to care for in Berlin, from all she could gather. 
 He had twice stayed away so long that on his return Flora had 
 insinuated laughingly that he must have found an attraction 
 there to keep him; which he had not denied, but rather, on 
 the contrary, had allowed was a very good reason for his ab- 
 sence. 
 
 Kathe made no remark in reply to this communication, but 
 she found herself thinking that perhaps the wisest course for 
 her to pursue would be to take the next train back to Dres- 
 den. She thought Henriette looked very ill, and her hollow 
 cough seemed to shake the frail body more often than in the 
 spring; her hands were burning, and her breathing was much 
 shorter and more labored than Kathe had ever seen it before. 
 Formerly Henriette had never allowed herself to weep, but 
 now, after a glance at her sister's face, she burst into a flood 
 of tears, and begged Kathe not to leave her, she felt so utter- 
 ly lonely and miserable. 
 
 Kathe comforted her to the best of her power, and assured 
 her she would stay with her at least till after the wedding; but 
 then the mention of the wedding produced another outburst 
 of weeping, in which Henriette sobbed out her fears that Dr. 
 Brack would be unhappy with Flora as his wife, in spite of the 
 love he had for her, and hiding her head on Kathe 's bosom, 
 she intimated that, although "auntie -"had kept her own 
 counsel and said nothing about the matter, yet that she, Hen- 
 riette, was sure the old lady shared her fears and even blamed 
 herself for allowing 
 
 But Kathe cut these lamentations short by remarking that 
 the affair was Dr. Bruck's, and his alone, that he had had 
 ample opportunity of judging Flora's disposition during the 
 last year, and he must now meet his fate and accept the conse- 
 quences of his own acts, be they what they might. 
 
 Henriette started back in surprise as the bitter tpords fell
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 21? 
 
 from Kathe's lips in a hard, metallic voice, but she dried her 
 eyes and said nothing while Kathe took off her things. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HALF an hour later Kathe gently helped Henriette to de- 
 scend the stairs, in order to announce her arrival to the rest of 
 the family. When the two girls reached the side hall, where 
 Kathe had hidden for a moment behind the flowers the rtight 
 of her flight, now three months ago, she stood still for a second 
 to take a peep into the large reception-room immediately fac- 
 ing her, from which a strange, humming monotonous sound of 
 voices proceeded. 
 
 " They are rehearsing for to-night/ ' explained Henriette, 
 in a short, contemptuous tone, after listening to the sound for 
 a moment. " How I detest all those girls! They would like 
 to scratch Flora's face, I know, and yet there they are making 
 fools of themselves in trying to declaim some such poetical 
 stuff as that her brow is worthy of the kiss with which genius 
 
 freeted her, and that her beauty is more beautiful than the 
 owers which adorn her dress, etc. Bah! I have no patience 
 with such nonsense. And Moriz is behaving like an idiot 
 Just fancy what he did yesterday eveniug, not an hour after 
 his arrival home ! He had all the decorations taken down from 
 the walls, because, forsooth, the workmen, like sensible fel- 
 lows, had used stuff instead of silk damask to cover the hidden 
 portions of the stage; he seems to me to squander his money 
 in the most reckless, nay, wicked fashion. Look here!" 
 
 She pushed back one of the folding doors, in order to allow 
 Kathe space to see into the room and look at a magnificent 
 purple velvet canopy bordered with gold fringe, under which 
 the bridal pair were to sit on a dais during the evening's 
 amusements. 
 
 " How will the bridegroom's dark, pale countenance look 
 under that costly absurdity?" whispered Henriette, with a sar- 
 castic smile hovering round her thin lips. " She will stand 
 near him smiling triumphantly, arching her proud neck, and 
 dressed in the most artlessly simple white tulle robe, the effect 
 of which has been studied for weeks. It is trimmed with 
 daisies, the sweet innocent little flowers being considered the 
 most fitting emblem of the feelings of a bride on the eve of her 
 marriage. Bah! Kathe, Kathe, you can not understand how 
 I abhor all this costly show lately how I shrink from the 
 sham and falseness of the life about me," cried the girl, in 
 nervous excitement, and adding, as she clung for & moment to
 
 218 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Kathe's strong, supporting figure, " I seem to feel within me a 
 sort of presentiment that some terrible disaster is about to 
 happen, or some secret start into light like a curling flame out 
 of smoldering ashes. " 
 
 " Hush, hush, dear!" was all Kathe could -answer in words, 
 but she held her feeble sister in her strong embrace, and 
 waited till her trembling frame had become composed before 
 proceeding across the hall. 
 
 Mme. Urach, Flora, and the counselor were sitting at 
 breakfast in the dining-room, when the two young girls en- 
 tered. The bride-elect was arrayed in a gray, rose-bordered 
 morning-robe, with a dainty little lace cap ornamenting her 
 head. Kathe was startled at the sharp, worn look of the face, 
 without the golden fringe of curls which usually ornamented 
 Flora's forehead later on in the day, and she could not avoid 
 confessing to herself that her lovely sister's youthful appear- 
 ance had considerably lessened since she last saw her. The 
 oval of the face had assumed a hard sharp outline, and here and 
 there, around her eyes and mouth, traces of furrows were very 
 distinctly to be seen. 
 
 " Good gracious, Kathe, whatever made you choose this day, 
 of all days in the year, to come back among us, like a bad 
 penny?" she cried, making an effort to conceal her mortifica- 
 tion and annoyance at her younger sister's sudden and unex- 
 pected appearance. ' ' You place me in a very awkward predica- 
 ment, whether I will or will not: you must of course join my 
 bride-maids. I have twelve already, and thirteen I will not 
 tolerate for a second, as you yourself must quite understand " 
 
 She suddenly checked herself, and a cry of vexation and 
 alarm escaped her lips. 
 
 The counselor was sitting with his back to the door, and in 
 the act of pouring out a glass of burgundy, when Flora's ex- 
 clamation announced the entrance of the girls. Whether it 
 was the suddenness of the exclamation which shook his hand, 
 or that in raising his eyes to see who it was he did not put the 
 glass safely on the table, no one could have said; but the re- 
 sult was that the purple contents were spilled over the white 
 table-cloth and all down the side of Flora's charming dress. 
 
 The counselor sprung up from his seat with pale face, wide- 
 open mouth, and staring eyes, as if he saw the spirit of a dead 
 friend, instead of the tall, rounded figure and sweet, earnest 
 face of his ward entering the room. For one moment he 
 seemed unable to speak, the next he had recovered his self- 
 command, laughingly apologized to Flora for his awkwardness, 
 rang the bell for a servant to repair the damage he had caused
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 219 
 
 to the breakfast-table, and then hastened across the room to 
 greet Kathe. Not a trace of the rejected lover was noticeable 
 in his manner, as he quietly shook hands with her, and uttered 
 a few words of pleasure at seeing her back in his house. His 
 bearing toward her made her feel at her ease immediately, for 
 one glance at his face assured her that he had again returned 
 to his former relation with her that of a fatherly guardian to 
 a young ward. Laying one hand on her shoulder, he said: 
 
 " I did venture to send you a formal invitation, Kathe, and 
 lately I have been so busy and occupied with other affairs, that 
 a visit to Dresden was quite out of the question, even if I had 
 had time to think of it. You will forgive me, if I " 
 
 " I have come back entirely and for the sole purpose of be- 
 ing with Henriette, now she is ill again/' Kathe interrupted 
 quickly, but without the slightest reproach in her tone for 
 Flora's rudeness. 
 
 " That is very nice and kind of you, my dear," remarked 
 Mme. Urach, the frown clearing from her brow, which Kathe's 
 unexpected entrance had brought there; adding, as a per- 
 plexed look settled around her mouth: " But where are we to 
 put you? Flora's trousseau is laid out in the room you used 
 to occupy, and " 
 
 " You must allow me to take possession of my own quarters, 
 madame; indeed I have done so already," said Kathe, politely 
 but firmly. 
 
 " I see no other alternative left open to me but to accept 
 your proposition," replied the old lady, good-humoredly. 
 " By this evening our house will be as full as possible every 
 corner occupied; and even this morning we had some little diffi- 
 culty to reserve this room free for our breakfast. Eeally I never 
 remember seeing the house in such a terrible state of confusion. 
 Ever since dawn men have been at work hammering, nail- 
 ing- 
 
 " And now the girls are declaiming at the top of their voices 
 in the drawing-room, loud enough, too, to shake the balcony 
 from its supports," Henriette remarked, with no little con- 
 tempt in her voice, sitting down in an easy-chair. " As Kathe 
 and I passed, just now, we overheard something about ' Pallas 
 Athene,' the ' Rose of Cashmere/ and the newly made bride 
 all mixed up in verse " 
 
 "Be quiet, Henriette!" cried Flora, clasping her hands 
 angrily to her ears. " I think it shows great want of taste on 
 your part to tell me beforehand of such dilettante perform- 
 ances, when you know how I have always excelled in acting
 
 220 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 myself; and now I shall have to sit still and say nothing, whifc 
 others are making fun of and laughing at " 
 
 Mme. Urach raised her hand, and by a gesture commanded 
 her granddaughter to hold her tongue, for ns she spoke the 
 young ladies entered the room, having finished their rehearsal. 
 
 Flora glided off into a tiny anteroom at the side, while 
 Fraulein von Grise coldly greeted Kathe with the remark that 
 she had been away during the pleasantest part of the year, 
 after which she turned to the counselor, and, holding out her 
 hand, said, in affected gayety: 
 
 " Oh, how pleasant to see you here, Herr von Romer, for 
 now we can thank you in person for the marvelously beautiful 
 manner in which you have seconded our efforts for to-night's 
 amusement. It is really superb ! and the decorations are be- 
 yond praise. Such fairy scenes are more fit for fairy-land than 
 this prosy every-day world: that ball-room is simply exquisite- 
 ly decorated. How pleasant it must be to be so rich! Apropos 
 of riches, have you heard the news about Major Bredon? 
 They say he is ruined, utterly ruined! This money panic is 
 too alarming first one and then another, and " 
 
 11 But Major Bredon has been speculating to a fearful ex- 
 tent," remarked Mme. Urach, softly, leaning back in her fau- 
 teuil and arranging her dress. * ' How could he be so mad, so 
 utterly wanting in common sense?" 
 
 " His wife is a lovely woman, and she is the one really in 
 fault she has been shamefully extravagant. Why, her toilet 
 alone has cost more than three thousand thalers a year!" 
 
 " Nonsense, my dear; that has nothing to do with their ruin, 
 or rather it would not have mattered if her husband had been 
 more careful about his capital; but he speculated in things 
 that he ought to have known were mere bubbles." She 
 shrugged her shoulders, and smiling at the counselor, added: 
 " In all such matters he should have taken a business man's 
 advice, as I did. We are safe enough; are we not, Moriz?" 
 
 " I believe so," he replied, with laconic brevity, filling up 
 his glass with some burgundy, and drinking it off; " but I 
 suppose few escape untouched in such a panic as the present 
 one; here and there one- loses a little ' nothing risk/ you 
 know, * nothing have/ but mere flea-bites which hurt no 
 one-" 
 
 " Ah! that reminds me that I have not seen the paper to- 
 day/ 3 broke in Mme. Urach, quickly, rising from her chair. 
 " Generally I have it brought to me punctually at nine 
 o'clock." 
 
 " Possibly an oversight on the part of the postman, grand-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 221 
 
 mamma," he replied, indifferently, shrugging his shoulders; 
 ' ' or, perhaps, yours has got mixed with mine by some mistake 
 of the servants. I have not opened my letters yet; they are in 
 my rooms in the tower. I will go and see if yours is there." 
 He poured out another glass of burgundy and drank it off, 
 and as he put the wine-glass back on the table, he said, by way 
 of apology for drinking so much wine: " Pardon me, ladies; 
 but one of my headaches has just suddenly come on, and I 
 fancy the wine may ward it off for a time. Two or three 
 glasses of burgundy had a very happy effect on me last week, 
 when I was attacked in a similar manner; I hope it will do th 
 same now. Come," he added, going to the buffet, uncorking 
 a bottle of Stein, and filling several glasses standing near; 
 " come, ladies, my headache is better already." His face was 
 flushed now, instead of pale and drawn. " Let us drink to the 
 success of this evening's amusements," and he handed a glass 
 to each of the young ladies; then holding his own high in the 
 air, he cried: " Long live youth and beauty, and may we all 
 live on to enjoy the happy life so pleasant to each of us just 
 now!" 
 
 Glasses were touched all round, while Mme. Urach smiled 
 and slightly shook her head. Kathe had drawn back into the 
 corner and stood by Henriette's couch while her guardian was 
 pouring out the wine. He did not seem to notice her presence 
 or that she did not join in the toast; he offered her no glass, 
 and she did not go forward to take one; but she saw how Hen- 
 riette's eyes filled with tears at the counselor's tactless refer- 
 ence to a " happy life," and how her lips quivered as the clang 
 of the glasses fell on her ear; for life to her was anything but 
 a pleasure, with all the suffering she had to endure, when, 
 sometimes for weeks together, the drawing of each breath was 
 painful almost beyond endurance. 
 
 Kathe glanced anxiously and questioningly at her guardian's 
 excited face. She never imagined that behind his pleasant 
 manners and placid, handsome countenance an inward struggle 
 might be going on, the result of which even he himself dreaded; 
 but now as she gazed at his flushing eyes and heightened color, 
 and noticed the convulsive movement of his lips, and the slight 
 trembling of the hand which held the glass, and heard the 
 forced ring of his voice, she was convinced in her own mind 
 that something strange must have happened of which he was 
 cognizant, and which he was anxious to conceal from those 
 about him, or that he was ill. 
 
 The counselor seemed indignantly to feel the effect of Kathe's 
 glance, for he unwillingly, turned round and looked rapidly
 
 222 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 across at the corner where the two girls were, then quickly 
 placed his glass on the table, and passing one hand over his 
 forehead, he held on to the buffet with tne other in order to 
 steady himself from falling, for the giddiness in his head had 
 momentarily taken possession of him again, in spite of the 
 wins he had taken to ward it off. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE preparations for the amusements of the evening on the 
 ground- floor of the villa went on at a rapid rate, at the same 
 time causing a noise and confusion which became almost un- 
 bearable as the afternoon advanced. The families from the 
 surrounding neighborhood began to arrive in quick succession, 
 accompanied by baskets full of " theatrical things," to be 
 donned later on by the fair occupants of the carriages. The 
 whole of the ground-floor seemed in a hopeless state of confu- 
 sion; hair-dressers were hanging about the hall waiting to be 
 summoned to the several ladies, whose costume demanded an 
 appropriate arrangement of their hair; maids were flying up 
 and down to answer the bells, every one of which seemed 
 possessed with St. Vitus's dance; gardeners were coming and 
 going, bearing large trays of hot-house grapes and other deli- 
 cacies for dessert, while the under-gardeners hurried to and fro 
 with massive pots of bright flowers, and orange and palm-trees 
 to decorate the hall and ball-room. Footmen jostled each 
 other in the performance of their duty in attending to the 
 constantly arriving guests, and in conducting the right person 
 to the right room allotted for his or her use; and in every 
 apartment on this same ground- floor the knocking and ham- 
 mering going on was almost past endurance by those whose ill- 
 luck it was to have TO wait about in the hall. 
 
 In the midst of all this noise and confusion down-stairs, up- 
 stairs in the comparative quiet and seclusion of her own snug 
 little room, Henriette had fallen into a calm deep sleep. In 
 the outer chamber used by the invalid as a sort of boudoir, 
 Nanni, her personal attendant, was sitting at work. With the 
 swiftest and daintiest fingers she was sewing on to some airy 
 stuff quantities of silver spangles, which the busy workmen 
 down-stairs were to hang in graceful festoons around the wall 
 of the mimic stage in the ball-room. 
 
 It was about half past four when Kathe softly opened the 
 door, and passed from Henrietta's bedroom into the bou- 
 doir. Stopping a moment to admire the deftness of the wait- 
 ing-woman's fingers, she entreated her to watch her young mis-
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 223 
 
 tress while she slept, and not to leave the room under any 
 pretext whatever, adding: 
 
 " And if Fraulein Henriette awakes before I return, tell her 
 I shall be back in an hour; I am only going to the Mill- 
 house. " 
 
 Avoiding the grand staircase which led to the large hall, 
 Kathe went down a side flight of stairs, and so across a side 
 corridor of the dining-room. For the moment it was vacant-, 
 but no sooner had Kathe quietly tripped toward the door than 
 she saw the counselor emerge from a second door, also leading 
 to the garden, with his straw hat on his head, and evidently 
 about to sally forth to his own rooms in the tower. 
 
 " There is no need to hurry, Anton," he was saying to his 
 valet, who lived in the ruined tower with his master; <4 1 shall 
 not dress before six, so you will have plenty of time to ride to 
 the town and back." 
 
 Kathe's footsteps lingered; she had no wish for a private 
 tete-a-tete with her guardian just now, and she thought that in 
 a few moments he would have left the threshold of the door 
 and gone out into the garden. Bat he stood still on the top of 
 the steps, with his hands in his trousers pockets and his back 
 to the corridor, surveying the scene before him. One would 
 think from the earnest expression on his face, and the yearn- 
 ing, almost pained look in his eyes, that the beautiful land- 
 scape at his feet, with its soft, late afternoon gleams of sunshine 
 lighting up every branch and tree, and casting broad shadows 
 on the paths, was being seen by him for the last time. From 
 one point to the other his gaze wandered slowly over the whole 
 extent of scenery before him, and then Kathe heard him sigh 
 gently, and saw too that his breast heaved as if under terrible 
 emotion, and that he clinched his fist in his pocket as if striv- 
 ing to subdue the feelings which were overpowering him, and 
 that then suddenly he lifted his right hand to his brow and 
 pressed it across his eyes as he had done in the morning when 
 the giddiness in his head had attacked him. 
 
 She hurried to his side. The rustling of her silk dress made 
 him try to turn round to see who was there. 
 
 " You have the headache still?" she asked, gently. 
 
 " Yes, it is very bad, too, and I have just had another fit of 
 giddiness," he replied, in an unsteady voice, pulling his hat 
 deeper over his brow. " I don't wonder at it, either, with all 
 this noise and commotion going on in the house. If I had had 
 the least idea of the thousand and one worries the festivities of 
 this evening are creating, I would have stayed away," he add- 
 ed, presently, with a steadier voice, but with still a very ua-
 
 224 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 natural ring in it, that Kathe could not account for as simply 
 caused by his headache. " The stupid workmen misunder- 
 stood all my orders during my absence, and executed every 
 one exactly in the contrary way to my wishes, hence a week's 
 work has had to be undone since my arrival yesterday, and re- 
 arranged again in the space of twelve hours. And I am afraid 
 we shall have this knocking and hammering up to the very 
 last moment before the curtain rises." 
 
 He walked down the steps slowly, and with the uncertain 
 movement of a man whose vision is imperfect, he fairly reeled 
 as he reached the ground and clutched at the iron railing for 
 support. 
 
 " Shall I go back and fetch you a glass of seltzer-water?" 
 asked Kathe; " or shall I send for Doctor Brack?" 
 
 " No no, thank you, Kathe," he answered, in a strangely 
 weak tone; but his eyes glanced at her tall, elegant figure with 
 an eager, devouring gaze that brought the color to his face and 
 made him droop his eyelids for a second. " Besides, you are 
 laboring under a grand mistake if you imagine Bruck is 
 to be had so easily. Nothing tempts him away from his 
 patients in town. My firm belief is that he will have 
 to be fetched from the bedside of a patient to go through 
 the marriage ceremony to-morrow." A sarcastic smile 
 flitted over his pale lips, and he added, after a slight 
 pause: " The very best remedy I have in my own hands my 
 cool wine cellars. I was just going over to the tower to get 
 the wine wanted for this evening. I think the cool, fresh air 
 down in the cellars will do me more good, and drive away my 
 headache much sooner than any amount of medicine; it will 
 act like a cold water bandage on my hot forehead/' 
 
 Kathe gave a little touch to her hat to fix it more primly on 
 her head, and moved forward down the steps. 
 
 "You are going to the Mill-house? Not any further, I 
 hope?" he asked, looking at his watch. 
 
 The question was simple, and asked in a careless tone; but 
 Kathe fancied he caught his breath while speaking, and that 
 his eyes had a somewhat strange glare in them as he looked 
 up for her answer. 
 
 She replied by telling him that she was going to the Mill- 
 house, to put the finishing touches to her toilet for the evening, 
 and nodding her head gayly she turned off across the gravel 
 walk, while the counselor wended his way in the opposite 
 direction toward the tower. 
 
 Kathe had reached the first tree beyond the pathway, when 
 she involuntarily stood still and looked back at her guardian,
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 225 
 
 He was walking over the grass with the same hesitating, un- 
 steady gait Kathe had noticed in him once before to-day; eve* 
 while she looked his knees seemed to bend beneath him, and 
 his whole figure to tremble, and his hat was pushed to the back 
 of his head as if he could not bear the weight of the pressure 
 on his forehead, and again the girl saw his eyes wander with a 
 mournful but purposeless gaze around the park. 
 
 Suddenly an idea Hashed through her brain and her face 
 paled. That her guardian was ill she had no doubt; but was 
 it safe for him to enter the wine-vaults in his present state 
 alone? And she shuddered as she remembered her own feelings 
 the day he had escorted her and her sisters to visit the cellars, 
 and had pointed out to her the huge old-fashioned barrels of 
 gunpowder, and her terror in case anything should occur to 
 cause those barrels to blow up. 
 
 All these things rushed across her now, and she trembled as 
 she quickly ran back and called out, anxiously: " Moriz! Moriz! 
 do be careful with the light in the cellars!" 
 
 Was he so deep in thought, or was he in such a nervous state, 
 that the unexpected interruption started him beyond his con- 
 trol? Whichever it was he turned round with a white, scared 
 face, and muttered an oath between his teeth as he replied, 
 angrily: 
 
 " What do you mean to insinuate? What? Ah! ha! have 
 you seen a ghost in the sunshine, Kathe?" he added, more in 
 his usual tone, and apparently making a great effort to control 
 his feelings. Then he burst into a wild mocking laugh, which 
 brought back the color of shame to the anxious girl's cheeks, 
 and waving his hand with a disdainful gesture, he reeled for- 
 ward and disappeared with hasty steps behind the copse, and 
 out of her sight. 
 
 In the course of half an hour Kathe had completed her 
 errand to the Mill-house, and having an hour to spare she stole 
 away down to the side of the river to look again upon the 
 " dear old-fashioned house " inhabited by Dr. Bruck and his 
 aunt. How her heart beat as she caught sight of its familiar 
 weather-cock through the foliage of the trees, and saw the 
 gleam of the sun on the windows. How she started too at the 
 sound of her own footfall as she slowly paced along the gravel 
 pathway. She felt like an exile about to gaze for the last time 
 on the beloved haunts of his happy days. She leaned against 
 the trunk of a poplar-tree, and silently contemplated the scene 
 before her. Here it was that she hud stood still for a moment 
 that never-to-be-forgotten dav now three months ago, after her 
 8
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 interview with Dr. Bruck, and looked back at the house from 
 which she had been banished. 
 
 She had not been able to forget the picture then presented 
 to her gaze it seemed indelibly impressed on her mind. The 
 wondering faces of the children as they watched her departure 
 from their position at the side of the kitchen garden, the 
 jtrong, tall, well-built figure of the young doctor standing 
 against the garden-table, the open hall door through which 
 she had caught a glimpse of the white cap-strings of the old 
 cook at work in the kitchen even the glint of the setting 
 sun gilding the window-frames and casting golden and crimson 
 rays on the tops of the trees behind the house. 
 
 When last she had seen these trees they were covered with 
 fresh budding flowers, now they had their branches bent be- 
 neath the weight of their golden and rosy fruit, which the 
 bright glistening foliage could not hide. The renowned vine 
 was heavy with the richness of its purple produce, and the very 
 air seemed impregnated with the sweet aroma of ripe fruit. 
 She gave a hasty glance at the corner room, and her heart 
 beat audibly as she did so. She knew the young doctor was 
 not at home, for Moriz had informed her that he was visiting 
 his patients in town, but a second glance told her that he did 
 not live there now. White lace curtains hung close to the 
 window-panes, a beautiful white cat lay cozily stretched on 
 the window-sill between several pots of full-blown Alpine roses, 
 over which a lady with snow-white hair was bending, evident- 
 ly Auntie DiakonuVs old friend, who was to live with her when 
 her nephew was married. He had said farewell then to his 
 home. His things were packed, and the next morning he 
 would stand by the altar by the side of her haughty, beautiful 
 sister, and, " for better for worse till death do us part," plight 
 his troth to her who had promised to be his, for the sole sake 
 of the brilliant position the wife of a man of his social standing 
 would occupy. 
 
 Kathe wept bitterly as she put her arms round the friend- 
 ly poplar-tree, and leaned her aching head against its hard, 
 rough trunk. Her sobs increased as she thought of the poor 
 noble lady who had drowned herself in the river, when her 
 heart was broken and her lover had proved himself faithless. 
 But she had been loved once, even if she was forsaken for an- 
 other, while poor Kathe had to confess to herself that she had 
 not been loved at all. Then, too, the noble lady had no si a 
 on her conscience, while, on the contrary, Kathe knew that she 
 herself was guilty at this moment of a dull, heavy pain at her 
 heart, which might be expressed by one very ugly word,
 
 THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSF. 22? 
 
 ousy, and the one she was jealous of was her elder sister! 
 poor girl bowed her head, and a crimson flush mounted to the 
 roots of her hair as she acknowledged this bitter fact to herself; 
 the very tears she was shedding seemed to scald her cheeks, 
 but she felt too utterly miserable to try and check them. Pres- 
 ently she was startled by the sound of footsteps on the path 
 behind her. Hastily dashing the tears away, she turned to see 
 "vho it was approaching. It was Franz, the foreman at the 
 mill, who was going up to the tower to look over " things 
 there a bit/' he remarked, in passing, as he touched his hat 
 and slung his basket of tools tighter over his shoulder. 
 
 Not caring to be seen by any one else who might happen to 
 pass by with swollen eyes and dejected air so near to the house 
 by the river, Kathe began slowly walking along the banks. 
 She had no desire to return to the villa just yet; there was still 
 plenty of time for her to remain out-of-doors awhile longer be- 
 fore dressing for the evening. She knew also that Henriette's 
 toilet would take long to perform, and that the invalid girl 
 would rather spend a couple of hours in adorning her person 
 than appear in society without an amount of finery on her thin, 
 emaciated figure, that heightened instead of diminished the 
 terrible inroads of the disease which was fast carrying her to 
 an early grave. 
 
 Kathe lingered under the trees, enjoying the quiet and loneli- 
 ness around her, and tried to subdue the longing yearning of 
 her heart for just one glance, just one more look at the man. 
 she knew it was a sin to think about at all, for was he not to 
 be married on the morrow to her sister? 
 
 And while she stamped her foot in anger at her own weak- 
 ness, she saw a man coming toward her from the tower, and 
 driving before him with a stick two small deer. He wore a 
 thick blue workman's blouse under his coat, which was only 
 fastened loosely over his shoulders, and his full, reddish beard 
 reached far down on his breast. The animals trotted docilely 
 over the bridge, but the instant they were on the other sido 
 they bounded forward into the depth of the park. 
 
 Most likely Kathe would not have noticed the man work- 
 men were in the habit of going to and from the tower if it 
 had not been for the deer. She knew that her guardian had 3 
 great affection for these animals, and that nothing made him 
 more angry than to find one straying from their special inclos- 
 ure and wandering at large in the park; and here was this 
 stranger driving two of the shy creatures over the river to the 
 forbidden spot! What could it mean? Was he one of those- 
 ^bo had sworn enmity to the family at the
 
 228 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 end openly declared that they had no just right to the luxuries 
 and riches surrounding them? Could he be one of a small 
 band of rebellious workmen who, as she had heard, had deter- 
 mined to bring down the pride of the newly created noble, and 
 to wrench from his grasp the wealth he had amassed ? 
 
 He walked leisurely along till he reached the heavy park 
 door, not so very far off to her right, which led on to the high- 
 road, and taking a key from his pocket unfastened the lock 
 and let himself out as coolly and deliberately as if he had been 
 the master. 
 
 But while she watched the man's movements it suddenly 
 occurred to Kathe that his gait and figure had a great resem- 
 blance to her guardian's, and that if he and this workman had 
 both been in the same position in life they might have passed 
 for twins, as far as their height, breadth of shoulder, walk, 
 and general appearance went, the only difference between them 
 being that this man had fair, reddish hair, while that of the 
 counselor was a dark auburn, or what is commonly called 
 brown. 
 
 Involuntarily she stood still, gazing earnestly at the spot 
 from whence the man in the blouse had disappeared; then she 
 slowly turned her head and contemplated the tower on the 
 other side of the water, and half unconsciously found herself 
 admiring the beautiful sweep of land in the distance, with the 
 grand old ruined tower standing out in bold relief against the 
 bright green of the trees in the foreground. Suddenly the sky 
 overhead seemed to darken, a huge flash of brilliant light 
 dazzled her eyes, the ground beneath her trembled, and a mo- 
 ment after a crash as of a heavy thunder-clap boomed in her 
 ears, and she fell to the ground in a state of unconsciousness. 
 
 What was it? A moment or two later and all those who 
 could possibly move ran out of the villa into the garden, for 
 the house was rocking from the effect of whatever had caused 
 that terrible noise. Could it be an earthquake? As if turned 
 into stone, those who had reached the open garden path gazed 
 at each other in speechless terror, expecting with every breath 
 they drew that the earth would yawn beneath their feet and 
 swallow them alive in its fearful depths. The lawn and well- 
 kept gravel walks were fast being covered with water, which 
 in some mysterious way appeared to have found an egress from 
 the river-side. The air was heavy with an odor of burning, 
 and the white, scared faces of the people standing in groupa 
 here and there began to be covered with smutches of black 
 that, by lorce of contrast, deepened the ashy paleness of every
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 239 
 
 fcheek, and the ground was gradually becoming strewn with 
 remnants of burning stuffs and charred atoms of wood-work. 
 
 As the minutes crept on and that one awful crash was not 
 followed by a second, and the momentary violent trembling 
 of the ground beneath their feet was succeeded by a stillness 
 as terrible to those able to think as the crash had been unex- 
 pected r one and another began to look around to see and try 
 and understand what it was indeed that had happened. The 
 thick walls of the villa were cracked from top to bottom in 
 various places, and one side of the magnificent house appeared 
 a complete mass of ruin. The windows were all broken and 
 their frames scattered about on the terrace; the huge massive 
 mirrors in the drawing-room were shattered to atoms, and the 
 stage in the room beyond the diiiing-hall was partly forced 
 through the opening of what had once been a French window. 
 How the workmen escaped with their lives and without any in- 
 jury to themselves was a question that always remained a mys- 
 tery, even when the cause of the catastrophe afterward became 
 known. 
 
 Presently those standing about began to recover the use of 
 their speech and limbs, and were joined by several people who 
 had hastened to the house from the outlying grounds. The 
 first to utter coherent exclamations was Anton, who had just 
 arrived from the town, and was riding up the avenue toward 
 the house when the fearful crash took place. His horse had 
 reared and thrown him, but beyond a severe shake he had not 
 been hurt, and now he came hastily forward and asked, in a 
 hoarse whisper: 
 
 :< What is it? What has happened?" 
 
 " Look! look, madame!" cried one of the servants, who, at 
 the sound of a question from some one else's lips, seemed to 
 recover very rapidly from his own fright. He was helping to 
 support old Mme. Urach, who, half fainting from terror, wat 
 leaning heavily against Flora. " Look, madame, over there!" 
 and he pointed in the direction of the park. 
 
 By this time a large number of people had assembled in 
 front of the house, each eager to hear what it was that had 
 happened, and at the man's loud exclamation they all turned 
 round and looked in the direction to which he was pointing. 
 
 Thich clouds of black smoke were issuing above the trees, 
 their density relieved every now and again by a flash of red 
 lurid light which leaped like a gleam of lightning through the 
 overhanging darkness. 
 
 " The gunpowder in the tower must have exploded!" criod 
 a voice in the crowd.
 
 230 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Not possible!" cried Anton, laughing, in spite of his ter- 
 ror, at the bare idea of such an absurd thing happening. 
 '* That powder long ago lost its power of exploding, and the 
 small quantity the master brought with him fresh from Jux 
 was not enough to raise a stone out of its place. What non- 
 sense you talk, man!" 
 
 But for all that he called it " nonsense," his face assumed a 
 pallor that was not there a few moments ago, as he remem- 
 bered that his master was then in his rooms over there, where 
 nothing was to be seen of the tower for the dense columns of 
 smoke darkening the horizon; and as the thought rushed 
 through his brain he turned and darted off through the park, 
 not heeding the wet, overflowing pathways, or answering the 
 questions of the crowd who followed his footsteps as fast as 
 their feet would carry them. 
 
 What a scene of desolation lay before them! In the space 
 of a second the beautiful estate had been converted into a heap 
 of black ruin! Turn which way one would, all was charred, 
 destroyed, and converted into a mass of rubbish. Scarcely a 
 tree remained standing. On the right, the noble avenue of 
 lindens which led from the tower to the entrance of the neigh- 
 boring town presented an aspect of torn branches and upturned 
 roots that was piteous to behold. Massive blocks of granite 
 had been hurled across the road, and large pieces of half- 
 burned wood lay side by side with huge stones on the well-kept 
 paths. On the other side, what had once been the elegant 
 palm-house was now a mere empty shed covered with thou- 
 sands of broken bits of glass, and all the handsome stables and 
 their costly occupants seemed to have disappeared under the 
 blackened, seething ruins which still cumbered the ground. 
 
 No wonder the crowd as they pressed forward held their 
 breath with horror at the scene of devastation around them. 
 Scarcely a trace of the grand old tower remained! The beau- 
 tiful balcony of ancient workmanship which the counselor had 
 had redecorated at great cost, and which was the pride and 
 glory of the surrounding neighborhood, had disappeared alto- 
 gether. The thick stone walls, gray and beautiful with age, 
 were torn and rent asunder and black with smoke, and from 
 the roof of the tower volumes of smoke still issued, ] ightened 
 every few moments by darting fork-like fits of flame. It was 
 impossible to approach anywhere near the burning mass for 
 fear of some falling stone or heavy buttress that dashed itself 
 to the ground with renewed force from time to time. 
 
 " My poor master!" murmured Anton, stretching out his 
 fcands toward the burning ruins, which were fast becoming ono
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 231 
 
 immense yawning cavern, containing nothing but smoke and 
 the charred remains of what had once been the counselor's 
 luxurious and costly apartments. 
 
 Round about the base of the tower, water was gurgling and 
 splashing against the stone walls, and covering the ground as 
 far as to the opposite side of the park. The same shock which 
 had destroyed the tower and desolated the whole estate had 
 burst the bounds of the river and caused it to overflow its bankk, 
 and as it sunk back into its deep bed after a few moments' 
 agitation it carried with it sand and roots, and wounded doves, 
 and masses of broken articles of every description. 
 
 Every moment brought fresh faces to the ruins, but what 
 could they do? The fire-engines from the neighboring town 
 were quickly on the spot, but helpwas too late everything was 
 lost, there was nothing to save. Who would be foolish enough 
 to expect to rescue exquisite furniture, costly sculpture, famous 
 pictures, rich carpets, or carved ornaments from that burning 
 crater? One rich crimson silk curtain had caught on the 
 lower portion of one of the walls and hung there like a great 
 spot''of blood from a gigantic wound. 
 
 And while they stood there watching the burning ruins, the 
 people began to whisper among each other of concealed treas- 
 ures of gold and silver hoarded up within the vast caves of 
 that blackened ruin. Yet no, it was not money but money's 
 worth, some one remarked, who appeared, from the expres- 
 sion on his face, of a more intelligent turn of mind than many 
 others there present papers of enormous value, securities, 
 mortgages, and such like tilings, which had been placed inside 
 those once massive walls, and hidden in heavy old-fashioned 
 iron chests, knowing that there they would be safer than in 
 any bank. Where were they now? Where were the walls 
 which had formerly protected them? It was useless to ask; all 
 was ingulfed in that frightful yawning cavern, or scattered 
 in a thousand useless fragments to the four winds. 
 
 What, too, had become of the master of all this enormous 
 wealth, who, according to Anton's statement, had entered the 
 tower about an hour previous to the catastrophe for the pur- 
 pose of drawing wine for the evening's feast? Many a blanched 
 face peered hopelessly into the burning embers, holding their 
 breath, while the faithful body-servant bemoaned his master's 
 loss, and every now and again rent the air with a piercing call 
 on his master's name, running hither and thither, now calling 
 over the water, then raising his voice still louder, with a de- 
 spairing accent of entreaty, as if the counselor were there and 
 Deeded coaxing to be persuaded to leave the ruins.
 
 232 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " How could any one be so foolish as to enter a vault wife 
 a light in his hand, where gunpowder in large quantities was 
 kept?" 
 
 But that historical gunpowder could not have exploded of 
 itself it had been there too many hundred years; some more 
 must have been added to the old," remarked one of the by- 
 standers in a loud voice an engineer too, who was known to 
 most of the crowd present as a man able to speak with the au- 
 thority of knowledge and learning. 
 
 " Then how the devil did it get into the vault?" asked An- 
 ton, standing still for a moment and eying the speaker with 
 suspicion, his haggard face looking still more haggard and 
 worn, with the fresh idea of doubt and suspicion raised by the 
 engineer's manner visible in his countenance. 
 
 The gentleman did not reply, but shrugged his shoulders, 
 and drew back out of the way of the fire-engine water-pipes, 
 which had begun to work on the side near him. Engine after 
 engine arrived in answer to the summons from the bell in the 
 nearest church tower, but too late to rescue things from de- 
 struction, so several of the men left off applying the water- 
 pipes and gave a helping hand to raising a new temporary 
 bridge over the river in place of the old one, which had been 
 completely blown away. 
 
 Presently a wild cry arose from the midst of the crowd 
 around the ruined tower. Not very far from the spot where 
 the men were at work on the bridge, the body of Franz, the 
 foreman at the mill, was discovered, lying mangled and dead, 
 half concealed by a large stone which had evidently fallen upon 
 him when the explosion took place and crushed him. 
 
 Mme. Urach heard the cry from a bench under the trees in 
 the garden, where she had sunk down exhausted and fright- 
 ened, after escaping from the house when the shock took place. 
 She had been unable to move a step further; she seemed 
 thoroughly unnerved, and to have no power to understand 
 even what had happened. 
 
 The cry raised by the people near the tower seemed to rouse 
 her; she tried to get up, but her limbs refused to obey. 
 
 " Moriz, have they found him?" she murmured as one in a 
 dream. Then making a great effort she asked: " Have they 
 seen him? Listen, Flora! listen to that cry; he is not dead, 
 is he, dear?" she demanded, as she seized hold of her grand-- 
 daughter's arm, who was standing near her, and looked up 
 piteously in her face. 
 
 It was a sad scene that Flora gazed round upon in her usual 
 boughty manner. In the distance, over the trees, clouds of
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 233 
 
 61ack smoke circled Tip to the sky; in the park, under the 
 trees, the ground was flooded with the overflowing river; and 
 near at hand, in the large open space in front of the villa, 
 thousands of broken pieces of glass strewed the lawn, over 
 which hung the balcony filled with beautiful flowere. rich sweet 
 orange-trees, and bright-colored plants perhaps the only part 
 of the house which had entirely escaped injury. At the bot- 
 m of the lawn several small streams of water, supplied from 
 the constantly playing water-pipes, had formed themselves 
 into a miniature lake, which was muddy and dark-colored 
 from the sand and other floating debris mixing with each 
 stream as it passed over the ground, and joined the others in 
 this sloping portion of the estate. Not one of the trimly kept 
 garden-paths was visible to the eye; even the far-famed avenue 
 of linden-trees was littered from one end to the other with 
 torn branches, blackened fragments of granite, and upturned 
 roots of trees. In the midst of this desolating scene Flora 
 stood, robed in white, with white flowers in her golden hair, 
 her cheeks and lips as white as her dress, and her demeanor as 
 calm and collected as though she were gazing on a scene of 
 ordinary interest, instead of on the complete ruin and de- 
 struction of everything the family possessed in the world. 
 
 Her lip curled indignantly at the visible sign of weakness in 
 her aged grandmother, who had always impressed upon her 
 granddaughters the worldly wisdom of never, under any trying 
 circumstances, losing their self-possession, and now seemed 
 utterly helpless herself in the confusion reigning around her. 
 Why need Flora trouble about a few panes of broken glass, or 
 the blowing up of an old ruin that her brother-in-law had 
 fitted up at great cost, and made habitable for himself and 
 servant? On the morrow she would start on her new career 
 as the wife of the most celebrated physician of the court. It 
 was tiresome, certainly, that all this strange tumult, the grave 
 results of which she had not as yet cared to inquire into, should 
 have occurred on the eve of her wedding, but 
 
 " I wish you would let go my arm, grandmamma!'* she said, 
 impatiently, in answer to the old lady's eager questioning respect- 
 ing her grandson-in-law's safety. " I think you must have lost 
 your wits, and fancy you see phantoms. Why need Moriz have 
 met with an accident? Bah! what an idea! he, too, who is 
 always so lucky! I am perfectly convinced that he is as safe 
 and well as I am, giving orders to those thoughtless servants, 
 who seem to have completely forgotten our existence, and who 
 are screaming and flying about down there as if they werO 
 mad, and I have no doubt do not see their master a yard oft
 
 234 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. * 
 
 I must go and see what they are making such a noise about. w 
 She glanced over the wet lawn and still more flooded garden- 
 path, and then at her light shoes; but after a second's hesita- 
 tion she lifted her tarletan skirt with a despairing shrug of 
 the shoulders, and said: 
 
 " I dare say they will think I have lost my wits also, but I 
 must go. " 
 
 " No, no; you shall do nothing of the kind; you remain 
 ^ith me," cried Mme. Urach, in a beseeching tone, catching 
 at the folds of Flora's dress and holding her back. " You 
 surely don't mean to be so heartless as to leave me alone with 
 Henriette, who is more helpless than I am, and can not stir 
 herself, poor child. Oh, God ! I shall die, I think. If he is 
 dead if ah, what then?" and the poor old lady drooped her 
 head on her bosom covered with sparkling diamonds, and 
 seemed to have aged in appearance twenty years since the 
 morning. Her yellow satin dress was a strange contrast to 
 her ashen-gray face and decrepit attitude. 
 
 Henriette had cowered down at her grandmother's feet, her 
 face as pale as her sister's, while her large eyes wandered 
 from one side of the scene of desolation to the ether, as she 
 constantly muttered: 
 
 "Kathe! where is Kathe?" and her lips trembled and the 
 words were spoken as if it were a lesson repeated by rote. 
 
 " Good gracious me! I shall lose my patience soon," Flora 
 murmured between her teeth. "It is terrible to be thus 
 hampered with such helpless women. Really, Henriette, I 
 must entreat you to cease that eternal moan for your Kathe. 
 No one will steal her from you, no fear of that." 
 
 With increasing impatience she glanced up at the house to 
 see if there was any one at hand to take her place, and stay by 
 her grandmother and sister while she followed out her inclina- 
 tion and walked over to the tower to hear what had really hap- 
 pened. But not a human being was within calling distance. 
 Every one had gone off to the tower visitors, footmen, serv- 
 ants, even dainty ladies'-maids had tucked up their petticoats 
 and waded through the rushing water across the park to the 
 scene of the disaster. Turning her head in the direction op- 
 posite to the one leading from the town, she saw two or three 
 ladies, who were to take part in the private theatricals of the 
 evening, coming toward the spot where she stood. 
 
 "For God's sake, tell us what has happened!" cried the 
 foremost young lady, as she neared the group. 
 
 Flora shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " There has been an explosion in the tower; that is all v;o
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 235 
 
 know at present. Every one has gone mad, no one will give 
 a lucid answer, and here am I tied to this spot because grand- 
 mamma has lost her head, and in her exaggerated anxiety 
 about Moriz is tearing my skirts from off my body. She has 
 taken it into her head that he is blown up too. ' ' 
 
 The young girls seemed to turn into stone at this terrible 
 conjecture and at the heartless cold-blooded manner in which 
 it was uttered. That the handsome, healthy man who had so 
 gayly challenged them to drink to the toast of a " long, happy 
 life " not a couple of hours ago could be reduced to a mass of 
 fragments was a fact they could not realize at a moment's 
 notice. They were too horrified to utter a sound, and all 
 Fraulein von Grise could bring her lips to pronounce was a 
 feeble: 
 
 "Impossible!" 
 
 " Impossible? you say impossible?" exclaimed Mme. Urach, 
 with an hysterical laugh and a sigh as she rose to her feet, 
 and while tottering as if drunk, pointed in the direction of the 
 park. " There! there! They are bringing him! My God! my 
 God! Moriz! Moriz!" 
 
 A group of people were advancing toward the house, carry- 
 ing a form on a stretcher improvised for the occasion, in the 
 midst of whom Dr. Bruck's tall figure could be distinctly seen. 
 He was without his hat, and his face was very pale. 
 
 Flora sprung forward, while her grandmother burst into a 
 flood of tears. As soon as they recognized the white-robed 
 bride-elect, and divined her errand in thus hurrying toward 
 them, the men who were carrying the stretcher drew back and 
 allowed her to step to the side of the motionless figure on the 
 board. One glance sufficed for her purpose, and then she in 
 her turn drew back and cried out to her grandmother: 
 
 " Be comforted, grandmother! It is not Moriz." 
 
 " Then it is Kathe I knew it was," murmured Henriette, 
 hi an awed whisper, that sounded as if it came from beneath 
 Mie ground, so hollow and unnatural was the tone of her voice. 
 
 And she was right. It was Kathe who was lying on the 
 plank, her clothes dripping with wet, and her head supported 
 by soft pillows taken from the doctor's study. But for the 
 linen bandage on her head and a few drops of blood on her left 
 cheek one might have supposed she was asleep, her lids were 
 closed so naturally, and her hands lay so unconstrainedly on 
 her lap. 
 
 "What has happened to Kathe, Leo? How on earth did 
 she get wounded in the explosion? What did she want down 
 there at all?" asked Flora, stooping over the prostrate figure.
 
 236 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 ind evincing far more anger than sorrow at her young step- 
 sister's misfortune or accident, whichever it might turn out to 
 be. 
 
 The young doctor's face flushed scarlet at his betrothed's 
 first question, but he controlled himself, and, pressing his lips 
 firmly together, made no attempt to answer, and looked past 
 her to the spot where Henriette was crouching down, too horri- 
 fied and terror-stricken to move. 
 
 But the sound of Flora's voice seemed to bring back her 
 scattered senses; she rose from her huddlcd-up position, and 
 holding the doctor's arm, she whispered, as well as her short 
 breathing would let her: 
 
 " Only one word, Leo; is she alive?" and her large eyes 
 looked imploringly up into his as she tightened her grasp on 
 his arm. 
 
 " Yes; the fresh air and loss of blood have saved her; the 
 only danger now is from her wet clothes. Thank God the 
 wound on her head is not dangerous," he replied, with a deep 
 sigh of intense relief, and he put his arm gently and kindly 
 round the weak girl's waist and half carried her up to the 
 house, after he had ordered the bearers of Kathe's lifeless form 
 to precede him. 
 
 The crowd followed for a few steps further, then quietly 
 dropped off, one by one, to return to the more exciting scene of 
 the disaster. Mme. Urach, who had scarcely recovered suffi- 
 ciently from her anxiety about the counselor to take much 
 heed to what was going on around her, allowed herself to be 
 led back to the house without any open remonstrance. The 
 girls who were to have joined in the theatricals followed be- 
 hind, watching with wondering eyes the young doctor's be- 
 havior, who appeared to be unable to notice anything but 
 Kathe's fainting form. Still holding Henriette round the 
 waist, he walked by the side of the stretcher, with his free hand 
 laid gently on Kathe's forehead to judge if the movement of 
 the bearers was causing her any pain. The usually shy, re- 
 served man, who lately had been graver and more reserved in 
 manner than before, watched each breath of the wounded girl 
 with a tender solicitude and all-absorbing gaze as if she were 
 all the world to him, as if the dearest and best-beloved being 
 the earth and life contained for him had just been rescued 
 from death by his preserving hand. 
 
 Flora followed behind, silently and alone, as if she had no 
 relationship with the three figures forming the center of the 
 group in advance. Her feet and skirts were wet, and the 
 jatter trailed along the daam gravel pathway, becoming dirtier
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 23? 
 
 and heavier with each step, but she took no heed of anything. 
 With a sudden rash movement she snatched the wreath of 
 daisies she wore in her hair from her head, and mechanically 
 tore them to shreds with her fingers, as if angry at the irony of 
 fate which had brought her into such a strange position, in a 
 toilet that was intended to adorn her person at the moment of 
 her greatest triumph in life. 
 
 She also appeared wrapped in her own thoughts, and noticed 
 no one as she slowly walked along but the tall imposing figure 
 of her lover. She waited from moment to moment, expecting 
 him to turn round and come to her side; but she was doomed 
 to disappointment, and she followed on step by step with an 
 eager angry light in her eyes, till they reached the threshold 
 of the door. Her grandmother spoke to her, but she did not 
 appear to hear; she turned neither to the right nor left, took 
 no heed of those who pressed around her, but with that same 
 angry gleam in her eyes which was there in the park, followed 
 her lover up the steps, into the hall, even as far as the first 
 floor, and into the room where Kathe, still unconscious, Avas 
 gently laid down on a bed by the young doctor's strong arms. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE night which succeeded to this day of horrors was one 
 long anxious vigil for every one in the villa. No one went to 
 bed, the gas was kept lighted in all the rooms, the servants 
 went about on tiptoe or stood whispering in groups in various 
 corners, and each time the night-watchman^ step was heard 
 tramping on the gravel path, or a door upstairs was softly 
 opened, every one of them would start and run to the hall 
 door hoping and expecting against hope that it was the mas- 
 ter's arrival; but the night wore away and the morning light 
 dawned through the windows and still he did not come. 
 
 The sun rose clear and bright, and shone unimpeded into 
 every room on that side of the house, for no one had thought 
 overnight of drawing curtains and pulling down blinds before 
 glassless window places, now glistening on a million of broken 
 pieces of mirror strewing the floor in one apartment, and then 
 flashing golden rays across the decorated ball-room, now a 
 complete mass of ruin, kissing the crimson velvet of the canopy 
 into a glorious flush of color, and warming the pale tints of 
 the orange-blossoms of the bridal-dress through the rosy gauze 
 of an overhanging festoon. 
 
 The velvet and gold and silver decorations, rare Venetian 
 glass and luscious fruit were l^ine side by side in the dining-
 
 238 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 room in hopeless confusion. One shock, and the fairy scene 
 had been changed in-to a tangled heap of fragments that was 
 piteous to behold. Verses were left unspoken, and in the 
 room where gold-winged angels were to have uttered high- 
 sounding praises of the queen of the evening, and fairy feet 
 were to have flitted through the mazes of the bridal dance, the 
 cold morning wind moaned through the broken walls and 
 rattled the fragments of the window-sills to and fro in restles? 
 monotonous impatience. 
 
 It was perhaps this morning, for the first time since the villa 
 had owned a master, that the sun had been able to peep un- 
 abashed through the unclosed shutters and wander in free de- 
 light to every corner of the large and costly furnished room 
 belonging to Mme. Urach, stopping to play for a moment 
 round about the silk curtains of her carved bed before darting 
 to the other side, and dancing over the amber skirts, and 
 flashing a thousand brilliant lights from the diamond necklace 
 the old lady still wore round her throat. 
 
 With loose cap strings, and disheveled hair, and torn lace, 
 Mme. Urach rose and slowly began pacing up and down the 
 floor. She was aged older in reality than those people sup- 
 posed her to be who merely saw her dressed of an evening and 
 yet the one thought which occupied her mind now had occu- 
 pied it all night, to the exclusion of everything else, and which 
 had excited her to such a degree that sleep had been out of the 
 question; this one thought, framed in coherent words, was, 
 
 Who was the counselor's heir?" She was aware that she 
 herself had no claim to anything that could be saved from the 
 general wreck, not even to the bed on which she slept, or to 
 the cup from which she drank. 
 
 The counselor had been early left an orphan, and, as far as 
 she knew, he had not a relative in the world, unless a poor 
 sister of his mother's, whom he had often assisted, was alive 
 still. Would she be his heir? He had no children, and if 
 this poor, obscure person, who had helped to support herself 
 by sewing to eke out the miserable pittance her unfortunate 
 husband had contrived to leave behind him if she were to 
 become heiress to all this colossal wealth, then it would be 
 very hard very hard indeed, for the old lady and her grand- 
 daughters in the future. For Mme. Urach and Flora and 
 Henriette were only relatives by marriage to the rich coun- 
 selor, and having no claim to his property, he having died 
 without a will, they would be forced to leave the luxury around 
 them, and go and live in an obscure lodging on very straitened 
 means. The old lady shuddered as she reflected that she
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 239 
 
 Diight be forced to go without softly lined carriages and high- 
 bred horses; that she would no longer be waited upon by 
 finished servants, or be able to tempt her failing appetite with 
 all the delicacies of the season, and that the princely entertain- 
 ments she had so long presided over would take to themselves 
 wings and fly away. 
 
 Two or three of the gentlemen living in the neighborhood 
 ^iad remained with the old lady till midnight the previous 
 evening, and although this same vexed question had not been 
 referred to in plain terms, yet the conversation hal naturally 
 fallen on the consequences likely to accrue from the loss of the 
 many valuable papers and documents known to have been 
 placed in the strong-boxes in the tower, and of which not one 
 shred or fragment could be found, or even expected to be 
 found among the ruins. 
 
 But, even if the bulk of the counselor's immense fortune 
 had been blown into the air, would not the contents of the 
 villa itself realize a sum of considerable value? 
 
 The house had been shaken and most of the glass destroyed 
 by the shock of the explosion, but the iron room had not 
 suffered, and that room contained the costly silver, which in 
 itself was a small fortune. Besides, the most valuable of the 
 horses, the half dozen thorough-breds, whose quarters were on 
 the side of the villa furthest from the tower, had received so 
 little damage in fact had scarcely felt the effect of the ex- 
 plosion at all; and they would sell for a sum worthy of a king's 
 ransom. And the pictures and other works of art all, all 
 would realize a sufficient fortune to enable Mme. Urach to 
 enjoy to the end of her life the luxuries she was accustomed 
 to, if only she could prove that the same blood ran in her 
 veins as in her late grandson-in-law's, Herr von Romer! 
 
 The conversation had also turned on Kathe, who was lying 
 upstairs in Henriette's room. 
 
 The papers concerning her enormous fortune had also been 
 kept in the tower, and the gentlemen had spent some little 
 time in discussing the probabilities of its complete loss; but 
 Mme. Urach had paid no attention to that part of the conver- 
 sation; what did it matter to her that the castle miller's ill- 
 reputed wealth had disappeared? all she thought of was: 
 " Who was Moriz's heir in point of law?" And when she 
 retired to her room the same question revolved in her mind, 
 to the exclusion, as we have already said, of every other 
 thought or interest. 
 
 And Flora? Late on the previous evening she had crossed 
 the upper corridor and ascended the grand staircase, with
 
 240 IN TSE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 anger and bitter vexation expressed on her beautiful face. T 
 her deep and intense indignation she had been forced to play 
 the part of a person who was not wanted in the so-called 
 " sick-room " upstairs. Besides Henriette, who had curled 
 herself on a sofa and obstinately refused to leave Kathe's 
 presence till consciousness returned, " Auntie Diakonus " had 
 taken quiet possession of the room, and installed herself as 
 head nurse. She had been obliged to seek shelter at the villa, 
 for the house by the river-side had been terribly shattered by 
 the explosion, and the south wall so undermined, besides the 
 roof being completely blown off, that it would not have been 
 safe for a human being to remain in it. Fortunately, she and 
 her friend were far away on the high-road when the shock 
 took place, and the maid was in the garden, out of reach of 
 falling stones, or perhaps all three would have met their death 
 by the f ailing of the roof and the breaking in of the south 
 wall. 
 
 Early in the evening the young doctor had sent for his aunt, 
 told her to request her friend and their servant to seek a 
 night's lodging at the Mill-house, and begged her to send one 
 of the watchmen to guard the house, while she herself came 
 and attended to Kathe, who would require tender and careful 
 nursing for the next twenty-four hours. She had obeyed her 
 nephew's direction and then taken up her position at the head 
 of Kathe's bed, to wait and watch for the return of conscious- 
 ness, weeping bitter tears the while. Every now and then she 
 broke out into half-stifled expressions of fear that the " apple 
 of her eye ' ' would never recover from the effects of a wound 
 on her head, in spite of the young doctor's constant assurance 
 that if she were only kept quiet in a few hours she would open 
 her eyes and recognize those around her. 
 
 On the other side of the bed Dr. Bruck sat on a chair, hold- 
 ing Kathe 's hand, which he quietly laid on the sheets. each 
 time he thought it necessary to change the cold-water bandage 
 on her head. Such an amount of attention to and interest in 
 the granddaughter of a wood-cutter's daughter irritated Flora 
 beyond endurance. The gentle whisperings between " auntie " 
 and nephew, regardless of her presence, made her so indignant 
 with the latter, added to the persistent way in which he ignored 
 her very existence near him in the room, that she proudly re- 
 tired, and sought the shelter of her own apartments, wherein 
 to vent her anger and rage unobserved. 
 
 She, like the rest of the excited household, had no thought 
 of going to bed. She changed her white tulle dress for a be- 
 coming dressing-gown of cashmere and gold, put her cold feet
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 241 
 
 into dainty velvet-embroidered slippers, and threw herself 
 down on the sofa to try and calm her excited nerves with an 
 hour's sleep. 
 
 Although her favorite room had miraculously escaped all 
 damage from the explosion but one cracked pane of glass, the 
 apartment was in a state of confusion from one end to the 
 other. The ebony writing-table was strewn with odds and 
 ends of papers, and every drawer open and empty. Packages 
 of various kinds were lying on the carpet; books had been 
 taken from their places on the shelves, and were piled in care- 
 less disorder in one corner of the room, evidently waiting to 
 be packed in the empty cases near at hand. The usual soft- 
 tinted light of her crystal lamp was missing from the room, 
 and on the table stood a bronze bracket of wax-candles, which 
 one of the servants had hastily placed there, the flickering, 
 uncertain light of which seemed to add to the confusion in the 
 elegant but untidy apartment. 
 
 When the morning sun had risen high enough to penetrate 
 the recesses of her room, Flora rose from her recumbent posi- 
 tion, extinguished the candles, and sent a message to Dr. 
 Bruck to the effect that she wished to see him. Five minutes 
 later she heard his firm tread crossing the hall. She gave one 
 hasty glance at herself in the glass, arranged a stray curl 
 under the lace cap she had placed on her head, and then laid 
 her pale, marble-looking face on the red cushion of the sofa, 
 drew her cashmere dressing-gown closer around her, and anx- 
 iously gazed at the door through which her lover would enter. 
 
 He opened the door, and there was something in his quiet, 
 dignified manner which she had never noticed before, and which 
 made her involuntarily rise from the sofa to greet him, as if 
 he had been a stranger whom she had never seen before. 
 
 " I am not well, Leo/' she began, hesitatingly, unable to 
 withdraw her gaze from the pale, handsome face before her, 
 which seemed to have gained a new beauty of expression since 
 she last saw it that she could not quite understand. " My 
 head aches, and I think that yesterday's excitement and my 
 feet getting wet have given me a chill and made me feverish, 
 she added, as he looked at her with the calm scrutinizing gaze 
 of a physician. 
 
 The calm look irritated her, her face flushed and her lips 
 trembled with the effort she made to control her feelings, as 
 she said: 
 
 " Take care what you are doing, Leo! I have been very 
 patient for these last three or four months, during which you 
 have been so wrapped up. in your patients that you have had
 
 24* IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 no time to spend with me at all. " Shrugging her shoulders,, 
 she went on: " But then, I suppose, that will be my fate; and 
 I am prepared to submit to seeing very little of you, and I 
 comfort myself by knowing that the more devoted you are to 
 your profession the greater the fame attaching to the name I 
 am to bear." And she turned her head slightly from one side 
 to the other, as if she already saw before her the chief portion 
 of the society over which she was to shed the luster of her 
 future husband's fame. Scarcely noticing the color which 
 mounted to his brow, she continued: " But the moment there 
 is anything the matter with me I protest strongly against your 
 outside patients being considered first. We are all more or less 
 suffering from this fearful explosion, and poor me! I had 
 to comfort and sustain grandmamma, and Henriette into the 
 bargain, while half dead with fright myself they were both 
 as helpless as babies. And yet you have not once thought it 
 worth while to inquire how I bear the shock we had yester- 
 day." 
 
 " I did not inquire because I knew you to have such control 
 over your feelings that you would not have allowed any such 
 weakness to overtake you as to be frightened tinder the cir- 
 cumstances; and then it only required one glance at your face 
 to convince me that your nerves and body were as sound and 
 undisturbed as usual." 
 
 The tone of his voice was the same as ever quiet, ringing 
 and deep; but the beautiful woman noticed that his breath 
 came quickly and with difficulty, as if his heart were beating 
 faster than usual. 
 
 " You are wrong in your latter surmise, for my temples are 
 throbbing and my nerves are upset; but you are right as re- 
 gards the first. I never lose control over my feelings; or, if I 
 do, I recover them as quickly as possible, so as to be in a fit 
 state to act with some amount of reason. If I may judge, 
 however, from your tone, you do not seem to admire that 
 quality in me, although you ought to be glad I possess it to- 
 day, of all days in the year, especially when I tell you that I 
 have never allowed myself to be persuaded into speculating 
 with the capital of the solid but small fortune papa left me. 
 If I had been in the habit of letting my feelings run away with 
 my discretion when I was in Moriz's rooms at the tower, I 
 should stand before you to-day a penniless bride my portion 
 would have shared the fate of the rest of the paper fortune, 
 and have been blown up. Don't look so shocked, Leo," she 
 added, lowering her voice; " I have not been duped, and I call 
 things by their right name. Grandmamma is tearing about
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 243 
 
 upstairs and wringing her hands, because this princely estate 
 is likely to pass out of her hands into a stranger's. Our amia- 
 ble guests have been bemoaning and bewailing the fate of 
 Dame Fortune's favorite child in such a tragic death, till I 
 left the drawing-room late last night in disgust, for I say that 
 yesterday's theatrical departure from this world had been ar- 
 ranged fo'r some time. Yes, you may stare; but there was a 
 whisper afloat yesterday among the workmen that Moriz's 
 affairs were in a desperate condition, and very shortly per- 
 haps even to-day the whisper might have been changed into 
 certainty, and our merchant prince, the noble counselor, pro- 
 claimed not only a dishonorable speculator, but a villain! 
 
 It would be impossible to describe in words the tone and 
 manner with which this terrible assertion was made by the 
 beautiful woman. She had risen from her sofa and was stand- 
 ing in the center of a crimson carpet, the soft white draperies 
 of cashmere falling around her, the sunlight heightening the 
 golden tint of her hair, and with one hand outstretched to give 
 force to her words; the same attitude, indeed, in which she 
 had stood long months ago, when, in reply to the counselor's 
 defense of Dr. Brock's surgical skill, she kad said: " I am not 
 so weak as to hide his faults to myself." 
 
 Flora was right when she said that she liked to call things 
 " by their right names." She had just put into plain words 
 the thought that had vaguely haunted Dr. Bruck's mind since 
 yesterday a thought that he would have shrunk from accept- 
 ing as possible, even within thfe secret recesses of his own 
 heart and it pained him excessively to hear from those 
 womanly lips, in hard, undisguised terms, a truth which it 
 would have been better and kinder to have left untold. The 
 generosity inherent in the man's nature resented with silent 
 scorn the unwelcome boast that she, the petted and spoiled 
 sister-in-law, " had not been duped " by the counselor s ex- 
 travagance and lavishness in the preparations for her wedding. 
 
 " I am unfortunate this morning in the choice of my 
 words," she went on, after a momentary pause in a half -sar- 
 castic, half-conciliatory tone, as she went toward him, he 
 having turned off to the window without answering her. 
 " Everything I say seems to displease you. Perhaps I have 
 spoken out a little too plainly for your sensitive feelings, and 
 you think that I might have spared his memory the reproach, 
 considering the kindness he had conferred on me?" Shrug- 
 
 fing her shoulders and raising her brows, she added: " It may 
 e so, but then you see I am a sworn enemy to the weakness 
 of trying to gloss over faults that are patent to every one who
 
 244 IN" THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 has a grain of sense; besides, I have sufficient reason for being 
 angry and indignant with Moriz. Henriette is as poor as a 
 church mouse; he speculated with every penny of her income; 
 and Kathe? you may rest assured that not a farthing of her 
 enormous fortune will be found. " 
 
 " Thank God!" exclaimed the young doctor, under his 
 breath, with a deep sigh of satisfaction, while his face wa? 
 momentarily suffused with crimson, and he smiled softly it 
 himself. 
 
 Quietly as the words had been uttered, Flora's quick ear 
 caught them. 
 
 " Thank God?" she repeated, with no little astonishment 
 depicted on her countenance, smiling and clasping her hands 
 together. " I confess I am not remarkably attached to my 
 young half-sister, but what has she done to you that you re- 
 joice in such a strange fashion over her misfortune?" 
 
 He bit his under lip in vexation, pressed his forehead against 
 the cool pane of glass before him, and did not reply, while she 
 gazed out into the garden and watched the sunlight gleam on 
 the stone nymph of the fountain. 
 
 " Kathe will not be as badly off as Henriette, after all," re- 
 sumed Flora, thoughtfully; " the mill and Mill-house belong 
 to her, and they are worth something, and the former will 
 bring her in a nice little income yearly. She can go and live 
 there as soon as matters are settled here, and I should think 
 that Henriette's best plan will be to live with her. The two are 
 very fond of each other, and the poor consumptive girl would 
 be a terrible drag on grandmamma. I can't imagine a better 
 arrangement; can you? I should not dream of burdening you 
 in our new home with such an invalid as Henriette. Kathe 
 will be her best protector and nurse, and she shall go to her. " 
 Suddenly clasping her hands round his arm, she looked up 
 tenderly in his face and said: "Ah, Leo, howl shall thank 
 God when you and I are married, by and by, and we drive 
 away this afternoon together, leaving all this confusion and 
 sorrow behind." 
 
 With a passionate movement and a sternness of expression 
 that she had never seen before in his face, the young doctor 
 wrenched his arm from Flora's grasp and said, in a hoarse 
 Toice of deep emotion : 
 
 " Would you really have the heart to leave your family 
 helpless and alone at such a terrible time as this? Go then 
 where you will, I shall remain here." 
 
 " Leo!" she cried, then became speechless with the bitter- 
 ness of her mortification as she saw that he was in earnest
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 245 
 
 She put her hand to her heart as if she had received a stab in 
 the side, and bit her pale lips to keep the angry words which 
 she was tempted to speak unuttered. " You surely are not 
 aware yourself of the import of your rash words," she said 
 presently in a compressed tone. I only notice them at all 
 in order to point out to you that unless we start on our wed- 
 ding-tour to-day, as was originally intended, before the news 
 of this terrible misfortune gets abroad and no one will be in- 
 clined to blame us for accepting our happiness an hour or two 
 earlier than the hour fixed for the ceremony we shall be 
 obliged to defer the marriage for an indefinite time." 
 
 He was silent, even morose, as he stood a short way from 
 her as if turned into granite. This silent immobility irritated 
 her, and as the seconds ticked on and still he uttered no sound 
 her large gray eyes flashed with anger and her lips quivered 
 with passion. 
 
 " I have already told you that I am prepared to give up a 
 great deal to the demands of your patients on your time; but 
 remember this, Leo, I will not submit to the mere caprice of 
 any other ladies. I neither care nor wish to understand why 
 you think I ought to remain here and go through all the 
 trouble and annoyance of winding up affairs here with grand- 
 mamma and Henriette, when I can retire to the charming 
 quiet and comfort of the home you have promised me. Surely 
 you do not expect me to make such a sacrifice? Besides, does 
 it lie in my power to alter the pass things have come to? Of 
 course not. Why then need you suggest anything so disagree- 
 able? Do you wish me also to become an object for pity? 
 No, no; a thousand times no; rather than subject myself to 
 that I would prefer leaving the house on foot. " 
 
 She began pacing the room with excitement. After taking 
 perhaps a dozen turns she stopped suddenly, still waiting for 
 him to speak, but he was still silent. Then, knitting her brows, 
 she went on: 
 
 " You have not given me the slightest reason for your stay- 
 ing here, as you say you intend doing. You can not plead the 
 need for your presence upstairs in the sick-room. Henriette 
 was to have been left in any case, and as to Kathe, after your 
 statement yesterday that the wound on her head was not 
 dangerous, you can not declare now that she requires your 
 constant and continued care. To tell the truth, I could 
 scarcely refrain from laughing last evening at the enormous 
 fuss you and your aunt were making over Kathe. That 
 Henriette, who is ill and nervous, should shed childish tears 
 ever a few drops of blood I CPJI understand; but that you,
 
 246 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 Leo, should condescend to treat the strong, robust descendant 
 of a wood-cutter as tenderly as if she had been a born " 
 
 She checked herself suddenly as Dr. Bruck quietly turned 
 round and raised his hand warningly to stop what she was say- 
 ing. She laughed bitterly. 
 
 " Do you think I am afraid of you? I tell you that I reply to 
 that very unbecoming movement of your hand by an answering 
 warning, and say: Take care what you are at, Leo; I have not 
 yet said the irrevocable ' Yes ' at the altar. I have it still in 
 my power to withdraw if I choose, and place you in the un- 
 comfortable position of a forsaken bridegroom. I repeat 
 again what I said just now, that the absurd fuss you made 
 over Kathe yesterday vexed me excessively. Won't the world 
 laugh at me if you pay as much care and attention to her as if 
 she were a princess, and " 
 
 " No, Flora, not as to a princess, but to the darling of my 
 heart, my first and only love," he said, in his deep, ringing 
 voice, not so much to her as to himself. 
 
 She started as if the earth had suddenly opened at her feet, 
 an ashy pale color blanched her cheeks, and involuntarily 
 raising her hands, she stood rooted to the spot with astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 Not a muscle of his face moved as he stood before her; he 
 also raised his hands, but he made no attempt to draw nearer. 
 
 " That which I have hitherto succeeded in hiding within my 
 own hear.t because I felt it was a wrong toward you, and a false 
 shame made me feel I was morally weak in the matter, I must 
 now confess openly to you. I know now, and God only knows 
 how I have struggled against it, that I have passionately lovted 
 Kathe from the very first moment I saw her. " His voice shook, 
 and he slightly turned his head to the window away from her. 
 
 Flora let her hands fall to her side. Unexpected and start- 
 ling as the position was in which she was placed, she could not 
 believe her ears had heard aright. Recovering the self- 
 possession she had momentarily lost, she felt vexed with her- 
 self for having evinced any sign of astonishment or fear. 
 
 She had often enough in former days flirted with her part- 
 ners at balls, and accepted with a smiling, pleased countenance 
 the homage they were only too willing to pay to the beautiful 
 woman whose loveliness of face and form had captivated their 
 hearts, and it had many a time happened that she had laughed 
 at and unmercifully dismissed with a taunt the man whose 
 heart she had won and then broken, if such a thing as a broken 
 heart exists, when he urged his suit or pleaded that she had 
 led him to believe she cared for mm. Bui Uiat a man should
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 34T 
 
 dare to flirt with her, and then break his wor5, was simply 
 impossible! The very idea was absurd; no one in town would 
 believe it, and she herself last of all. 
 
 Much more likely that Dr. Bruck had at last summoned up 
 courage to revenge himself a little for all she had made him 
 suffer. She knew she had tried him to the furthest point of 
 neglect that even she dared to venture upon, that she had 
 hinted to him not half an hour ago he was not to be sure ol 
 her till the final "Yes" had irrevocably been uttered, and 
 this had so vexed and annoyed him, so she thought to comfort 
 herself, that he determined to punish her by making her jeal- 
 ous. And her inborn vanity and frivolous nature kept her 
 blind for a few moments longer to the bitterest delusion of her 
 life. Curling her lips and crossing her arms, she said, cut- 
 tingly: 
 
 Ah, indeed ! the very first moment. Then that must have 
 been the moment she entered the hall like a peasant, her shoes 
 all covered with dust, and that very Arcadian-looking bundle, 
 tied, up in her handkerchief, hanging on her arm. Was it so?" 
 
 She might have seen, had she chosen, how each one of her 
 scoffing words made his blood boil, imd how it hurt him that 
 she could thus make fun of a feeling which had cost so many 
 hours of hard struggling with himself before he could make 
 up his mind to inform her of the fact at all. But he subdued 
 his rising anger. The question which concerned them both so 
 closely must be discussed between them; that it should be done 
 in a manner worthy of respect, was his to decide. 
 
 " I had accompanied her to the villa. I saw her first at the 
 Mill-house, " he replied, after a momentary hesitation. 
 
 Flora's cheeks flushed crimson with surprise, her eyes glit- 
 tered, and she bit her lip. 
 
 "Ah, indeed! Now I begin to understand. And our 
 simple-minded little sneak was interested in keeping that 
 fact to herself. A fair beginning, I acknowledge!" she 
 laughed, aloud. " Well, what next, Leo?" she asked, fold- 
 ing her arms tighter across her bosom and stamping her foot 
 impatiently on the ground. 
 
 " The tone you think fit to adopt, Flora, leaves me no 
 other alternative than to address you on the subject in writ- 
 ing," he said, coldly, anxious to avoid a scene.; and, scarcely 
 feeling able to master his indignation, he moved toward the 
 door. 
 
 She sprung forward and barred his passage. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, don't be so in earnest, Leo! I was 
 merely playing a part of vour own comedy. So you wish te
 
 248 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 wage a pen-and-paper war with me? My dear Leo, you wH 
 be worsted if you do. Let me warn you in time not to at- 
 tempt any such thing, however much practice you may have 
 had in writing prescriptions." 
 
 The smile she had forced to her lips died away as she en- 
 countered the somber and stern expression depicted on his 
 face. For the first time she began to comprehend that he 
 might be in earnest bitter earnest; not in his declared love 
 x'or her young step-sister that was an utter impossibility but 
 in his determination to break off his engagement to her at the 
 last moment rather than put himself in the life-long position 
 of being obliged to submit to her caprices and heartless be- 
 havior. Her bosom heaved as the thought passed through her 
 mind; but she still clutched wildly at the hope that he would 
 not dare to mortify her in the eyes of the world by any such 
 decided step. She glanced again at his face, set her teeth, and 
 then said, haughtily, as she moved aside to allow him to pass: 
 
 " Go, Doctor Bruck! The look you gave me a moment 
 ago is more than I choose to submit to. Go, I beg of you. I 
 will not move my little finger to keep you; no, nor utter one 
 syllable to ask you to stay. " Bursting into a mocking peal of 
 laughter, she added: "Men are noble creatures, certainly! 
 There was a time, not so many months ago, when I went on 
 my knees and begged for my freedom to be given back to me, 
 but it was refused, and I was caught more firmly in the net, 
 held faster than ever by the chain which linked us together. 
 Now see and learn what a poor weak woman's soul is capable 
 of pride " 
 
 "It was pride which made me deaf to your prayer for free- 
 dom indomitable pride but a very different thing to the 
 mixture of self -consolation and anger that you exhibit and call 
 pride," he interrupted, in a quiet, masterful tone and manner, 
 although he had not a trace of color left in his face. "I ac- 
 knowledge that I was wrong very wrong to indulge it, and 
 I will make no attempt to palliate my fault by empty apolo- 
 gies, or to defend my actions by pointing out to you your own 
 short-comings. What I did then was the result of a certain 
 boast I had unwittingly made a law to myself, that I, by pure 
 strength of will, could accomplish whatever I had set before 
 me to do; that if once I had made up my mind a thing should 
 be I would allow no obstacle to stand in the way of its fulfill- 
 ment. I would not give you back your freedom for this same 
 reason; also because I considered that, having once passed 
 your wdrd to be my wife, you were bound to eternity to keep 
 it, m l t on my side, was bound to keep my faith with you. I
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 249 
 
 broke my word in my life. I had promised to marry 
 you, and that promise had to be kept; and from this point of 
 view I regarded our betrothal as sound and binding for life as 
 the Catholics regard marriage vows. I will not deny that this 
 was a remnant of my student days' enthusiasm. That even- 
 ing you begged for our engagement to be broken, when you 
 informed me that you had no affection for me that you hated 
 me I told you in reply that I would not give you back your 
 freedom, because I had no intention of joining the ranks of 
 those whom you had harnessed to your triumphal car of 
 victory over men's hearts in order to prove the fascination of 
 your beauty, and then be left on the road to die when you 
 grew weary of your triumph. I confess again that this was 
 not right of me, because in acting as I did it is not so much 
 the honor of the man which is compromised by the results of 
 such conduct as that of the woman." 
 
 She turned away with a burning flush on her cheek, and 
 began drumming with her fingers on the table. For a moment 
 her bosom heaved, certainly not with emotion or sorrow for 
 the loss of the lover, the only one of the numerous admirers 
 for whom she ever felt the slightest approach to affection, but 
 with mortified pride. After a slight pause she said, haughtily, 
 without turning her head toward him: 
 
 " I did not conceal from you that my hand had been sought 
 times out of number before I engaged myself to you." 
 
 " I know you did not; besides, I heard it from all my 
 friends. You know, too, that you were the ideal of my youth 
 while I was at college; and afterward when I joined my regi- 
 ment, I was constantly hearing of your triumphs, and I could 
 not resist the thought rising in my mind that it would be a 
 very grand achievement to win the heart of the celebrated 
 beauty who had refused every man who had yet aspired to ob- 
 tain her hand, and " He checked himself, for he had no 
 wish to add to her vanity by describing the fascination her 
 beauty had for him before he saw her, or to wound and mortify 
 her by reminding her of the coquetry she had employed to win 
 his hand and heart, when she saw the position of social rank 
 he attained by his brilliant achievements during the war. 
 
 " And did you flatter yourself that you were the only one of 
 cJl my numerous admirers whom I loved?" she added, when 
 he paused. 
 
 " Loved? No, Flora, not one of them not even me," he 
 cried, passionately. " You have only loved one person in 
 your whole life, and that one is the beautiful, graceful, talent- 
 ed Flora Mangold. "
 
 2*0 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Ah!" she said, with the softened ring of regret in her 
 voice, " the usual flattery of a lover I have sadly missed in 
 you. Even if you caressed me you never had a word of en- 
 dearment for me, and now now in the bitterness of this 
 hour, you paint me in colors that even I, vain and egotistical 
 as you say I am, can not fail to be satisfied with. " 
 
 He blushed like a girl as he looked up at her. He knew 
 that many weeks, even months, had elapsed since he had 
 kissed the soft, curling lips of that beautiful woman before 
 him, and yet that he had kissed them at all seemed to him 
 now a wrong toward the other pure, sweet girl whom he had 
 learned to love with all the passion and earnestness of hia 
 nature. He turned his eyes away from the face before him 
 which was smiling at his confusion, and looked out into the 
 garden. 
 
 " Leo/' said Flora, suddenly going over to him and put- 
 ting her hand on his arm, " Leo, did you come down here just 
 now for the express purpose of being hard and reproaching 
 me?" 
 
 " You forget that it was you who sent for me," he replied. 
 " I should not have come of my own free will, for both girls 
 are ill upstairs Kathe is still unconscious and Henriette's 
 state makes me very anxious without your expressed wish to 
 see me at once I should not have left them, and certainly in 
 the midst of all this confusion and trouble I should not have 
 dreamed of coming to the decision your words have so unex- 
 pectedly provoked." 
 
 " What decision?" she said, quickly. " Surely you have 
 not taken in earnest my rather childish anger of a few mo- 
 ments ago, when I told you to go? A woman's passing caprice 
 is not to be treated with sober earnestness like that. " 
 
 The blood mounted to his brow by her unmerited reproach 
 she had brought matters to an unexpected crisis. Standing 
 still, he said, with ill-concealed impatience, as if irritated a* 
 her persistence in ignoring the truth of their strange position, 
 and his voice had a passionate ring in it which startled her: 
 
 " I have no wish to blame you in the matter I would not 
 presume to do so. I I forced myself to remain true to 
 
 " Ah, yes! You made an observation just now in reference 
 to the force of your will; has it your will, I mean failed 
 you?" 
 
 " Failed me? No, it has not; only acknowledged that it 
 was directed into the wrong channnel. Flora, I told you long 
 ago that in refusing to withdraw from my engagement to you 
 I had acted on a false basis. I knew then had known for
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 251 
 
 some time that you had not one atom of love for me. As I 
 said before, you never cared for any one but your own richly 
 endowed beauty, although you made me believe at first that 
 you loved me. Bah! and then I soon found out that the 
 enthusiastic admiration I had for your lovely person had not 
 extended to my heart that you never touched. You were, 
 and are still, my ideal of female beauty of face and iornv, 
 your face is perfect; your form faultless, but your nature is 
 cold, calculating and selfish. I soon learned with bitterness 
 that while you would be an ornament in my house as my wife, 
 you would never bend yourself to be my companion the 
 sweet, attractive center of my home, around which love and 
 peace, not worldly ambition and praise, would hover. The 
 love I hoped to win in your heart was not there to give. Mine 
 is a passionate, warm nature, and it was a bitter trial for me 
 when I woke up to the consciousness that I had to fook for- 
 ward to a loveless marriage a marriage in which not one 
 sentiment of tender feeling had any influence. You looked 
 focward to reigning in society as queen of my drawing-room. 
 You did not care whether I loved you or not, and you accepted 
 my reserve and coldness without question or interest as to their 
 cause. Flora, we both made a mistake have both done 
 wrong. You never cared for me with any feeling of affec- 
 tion" 
 
 She was silent she could not look him in the face and tell 
 him he erred iu his surmise, for she knew that love, in the 
 sense he referred to true, devoted, self-sacrificing love she 
 had never given him, never could give to any one. Her eyes 
 wandered carelessly over the red carpet; she did not wish to 
 meet those searching, grave orbs of his which she felt were 
 reading her through, and she would at the moment have given 
 a great deal to have been able to look boldly up in his face and 
 contradict his statement. 
 
 " And then it was I clung obstinately and reluctantly to the 
 letter of my word the more faithless I was in my heart to- 
 ward you the more " 
 
 " Ah well!" 
 
 " Yes, Flora, you may believe it or not, as you please; but 
 I did fight the battle I did wish to be true to you. " A deep 
 breath relieved him, and then he went on: "1 fought against 
 my love for Kathe as if I had been fighting with my deadliest 
 enemy. Flora, the very first moment I perceived how dear 
 she had become to me I was hard and severe with myself, and 
 with the girl also who had crept into my heart. I repulsed 
 her simplest action. I would not have the flowers she h&3
 
 252 IN THE COUNSELOR'S 
 
 thoughtlessly placed on my table in my room she had gath 
 ered them and laid them there, not for me oh, no! but while 
 helping my aunt in some household duty. She liked coming to 
 my house; but I avoided her presence as if she had been the 
 plague. I was cold, even rude to her, and fled away from the 
 sight of the face which charms me more than any other face 1 
 ever saw " 
 
 " That is very likely; a doctor's eye is sure to be attracted 
 by a healthy, round, red and white face like hers Dame 
 Nature's choice country production!" The reserve which pre- 
 vented her looking in his face awhile ago had vanished now; 
 she drew up her head, and, pressing her clasped hands against 
 her bosom, continued, sarcastically: " And you think it neces- 
 sary to inform me of these details? You think I wish to know 
 how this unsophisticated maiden threw flowers into the room 
 of the man she wished to attract. " 
 
 " Stop, Flora!" And he raised his hand with a gesture 
 which intimidated even her, and obliged her to stay the words 
 she was about to utter. " Overwhelm me with reproaches if 
 you will, I will not attempt to dispute them, but say one word 
 against Kathe, and I will defend her in a way you would not 
 wish to see me adopt. Not once has she knowingly tried to 
 win my love. She went back to Dresden ignorant of my feel- 
 ing toward her, ignorant of her own. Why she went at all 
 you know best. While, on the one side, she was being urged 
 into marrying a man for whom she had not a particle of love, 
 on the other, she was plainly made to understand that she 
 ought to give up her room willingly for the sake of a noble 
 visitor who had not a hundredth part as much right in the 
 house as she had. I was a witness to this unkind behavior, 
 and I had it on my tongue, when I saw her lip quiver and her 
 cheek flush with the insult, to tell Madame Urach, in a few bit- 
 ter words, what I thought of her heartless conduct. But I had 
 no right to interfere, and then, when indirectly I was asked to 
 have her in my house, I did not dare to accept the temptation, 
 knowing what I did how passionately I loved her. An hour 
 later, unknown to me at the moment, she overheard me en- 
 treating my aunt to give up Kathe '& friendship for a time, and 
 to find an excuse for preventing her coming to and from the 
 house while I remained in it. And so she went away, wounded 
 and sore in her deepest and truest feelings, and I was cruel 
 enough, nay, more, wicked enough, for the sake of a false 
 principle for the sake of the false, duty-enthroned idol I called 
 honor then, but which now I know was nothing of the kind- 
 to let her depart without tellinp- her that tke lie I was acting
 
 TK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 253 
 
 x> the world and to you, Flora, was only a lie, and that my 
 heart was hers entirely and forever." 
 
 For awhile he paused, overcome with the emotion his words 
 had called forth. Flora threw herself down on the sofa, laid 
 her head on the cushions and pressed her soft hands against 
 her ears, as if she wished to shut out the sound of his voice ; 
 but he went on, unheedingly: 
 
 " Yes, I let her go, and then I breathed more freely, anJ 
 told myself that my struggle was over, and that now at least 1 
 should be at peace fool! fool that I was! I might have 
 known that the moment she turned her back I should be 
 assailed by a fiend who would torment my existence beyond 
 endurance. It was not the exigencies of my profession which 
 kept me away from society here and made me reserved and 
 morose when surrounded by the presence of the other one so 
 much as the deep terrible longing I had for a sight of her 
 sweet face." 
 
 He left the window niche where he had been standing, and 
 began slowly pacing the room, while Flora rose from her re- 
 cumbent position, shook back the disordered curls from her 
 forehead, and said, with an ironical laugh: 
 
 " You longed to see Kathe? Well would dear papa under- 
 stand now, if he were alive, what he could not comprehend 
 years ago the true instinct of his eldest girl, which caused 
 her to rebel against calling the miller's daughter ' mamma ' 
 which made her turn her back on the new-born baby Kathe, 
 you know and passionately cry out that she had two sisters 
 and did not want any step-sister! You need not call the 
 foundation for your past actions a ' false principle/ Oh, no! 
 For the sake of this very false principle thousands of lies are 
 enacted by people who are pleased to call themselves not only 
 respectable but honorable indeed, you need not excuse your- 
 self" 
 
 " Flora, you have no right to sneer in any such way/' he 
 oroke in. "I hoped that you would accept my decision with- 
 out forcing me to remind you of things I would rather not 
 refer to." His voice was hoarse with emotion, but he deter- 
 mined now to bring matters to an end between them. " I do 
 not excuse myself. I know I have done you a great wrong, 
 and yet you oblige me to remind you again that in the even- 
 ing of the day you were attacked in the forest you told me 
 distinctly that you hated me and why? Because I hinted 
 that you had talents, but not genius, and that it would be 
 better if you gtive up writing on a subject which you were not 
 in a position to understand. Nn. listen you shall hear me/'
 
 254 IN THE COUNSELOR'S ; HOUSE. 
 
 for she made an attempt to interrupt him. " The day after 
 this candid admission on your part, I became aware that your 
 hatred had changed into a deep attachment for your neglected 
 lover, in consequence of his having been advanced to a post of 
 honor at court, and having received from the hands of his 
 sovereign, as a mark of gratitude for a slight service rendered, 
 an order which you informed me made me a marked man for 
 life. And I accepted your change of feeling as silently as I 
 aad leceiyed your assertion of hatred, and let the yoke remain 
 round my neck, because I wished to be what you sneer at 
 respectable and honorable. I would have acted this abomina- 
 ble lie to the end of time if it had only concerned you and me 
 if / had been the only one to suffer in the loveless future 
 before us. But there was another we were not two, but 
 three, and of these three human beings one would have gone 
 to the altar and pronounced the inevitable * Yes ' without one 
 pang of remorse at the misery she was entailing by that act, 
 without one thought of anything but the position before her in 
 the world while the other two, separated by that fatal word 
 as surely as if the poles divided them asunder, would yet have 
 been one in heart and thought, and would have loved on to 
 
 A cry of rage interrupted him. 
 
 " Has she dared to raise her eyes to her sister's promised 
 husband the hypocrite! Has she told you then that her de- 
 ceitful heart is yours? Traitors both of you!" she hissed 
 rather than spoke. 
 
 He started, the color forsook his cheek and lips, and his eyes 
 flashed in scorn and anger; but he checked his auger and said: 
 
 " You may say what you will, but no words of yours can 
 possibly calumniate in my eyes such a fair modest character as 
 Kathe's. I have not heard a word from her lips since that 
 afternoon I drove her from my presence. I did not know she 
 had returned yesterday. I had escaped from the noise of the 
 rehearsals, and the confusion of the hammering and arranging 
 ^ere, into the quiet of my own garden, when I suddenly saw 
 her standing on the opposite side of the rustic bridge, not 
 daring to cross over the spot she loves so well, because I had 
 banished her by my hard, cruel words." He hesitated and 
 paused, and the color rushed to his forehead. He would not 
 tell her how it was that the assurance came to him that the 
 weeping girl at the bridge loved him enough that he himself 
 felt sure of it. 
 
 " As soon as I could collect my sooses after the explosion in 
 the tower I rushed through the park seeking for her," he 
 went on, after he had subdued his fadings sufficiently to speab
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 255 
 
 Jftlmly; " and when I found her lying on the ground, and had 
 convinced myself that she was yet alive, I felt sure that death 
 had passed her by in order that I might be happy with her at 
 last. And in that moment the scales fell from my eyes, I 
 recognized the right of my heart to speak for itself. I saw the 
 folly of the sin I was about to commit in marrying one who 
 did not love me, and for whom I had no feelings of affection: 
 and there and then I determined to brave the world's opinionj 
 and declare myself a ' respectable ' hypocrite. " 
 
 During the utterance of the last sentence or two Flora's 
 manner had completely changed. She had played for high 
 stakes and lost; but she was not a woman of the world for 
 nothing. The cold calculating brain had grasped the fact 
 that her influence was nothing by the side of the subtle power 
 of the passionate love the young doctor had avowed for ifathe, 
 but she was not daunted. She smiled back at him with a cat- 
 like glitter in her blue eyes, while she snatched the lace cap 
 which had fallen from her head, and placed it deftly on the 
 top of her hair. Drawing the soft lappets under her delicate 
 chin, she knit her brows, and with a satanic smile, which 
 startled him with its look of malignity, she said, with slow 
 emphasis : 
 
 Indeed, and without asking my leave, Herr Doctor? 
 Well, do as you like! Listening to you just now I could not 
 help asking myself the simple question what should I have 
 done by the side of such a very sentimental, romantic person? 
 It is just as well that things are as they are, for both of us. I 
 give you back your word, as one does freedom to a bird with a 
 string attached to its foot, one end of which one holds in one's 
 hand." She just touched with the tip of her finger her be- 
 trothal-ring. " You are free to win the sweetest and most 
 winsome girl in the land, even my most devoted friend, if you 
 like, and I will, myself, hand her over my ring here buf not 
 to Kathe; I forbid that. Do you hear, Doctor Bruck? If you 
 fly over the seas with her or hide yourselves in the most ob- 
 scure village beyond the mountains, I shall appear before you 
 at the altar and forbid the marriage. " 
 
 " Thank God you have no power to do that," he answered, 
 pale as death, with a deep breath. 
 
 " You think not! Well, wait and see if you will obtain 
 your wish, if you can realize your sinful will; I think you will 
 find / can prevent it. You are a faithless, miserable traitor, 
 and not worthy of the rich perfumed plant you have cast aside 
 for the sake of a paltry field daisy! Bah! you will hear from 
 me again!" aud with a light wave of the hand in sign of fare-
 
 256 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 well, and a mocking, ringing laugh, she swept him an elaborate 
 courtesy, and passed into the inner apartment, shutting the 
 door behind her. 
 
 In the anteroom leading to the corridor the young doctor 
 was met by a servant, who in a low voice said : 
 
 "Fraulein Henriette is very ill, sir; her maid sent me to 
 fetch you, and to tell you that she has had a bad fit of cough- 
 ing and has now fainted; will you come at once, sir?" 
 
 " I am coming," was the short answer, in a tone of such 
 sad depression that the man went down into the servants' hall 
 and reported that Fraulein Henriette must be " going to die," 
 the Herr Doctor seemed so " cut up " on hearing that she had 
 fainted. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE oldest resident in town could not remember an occur- 
 rence which had so startled and excited the population of the 
 town and neighborhood as the explosion in the tower, and the 
 consequent death of the counselor and the foreman at the mill. 
 
 The two days following the catastrophe were spent in be- 
 moaning and lamenting the rich man's unhappy fate, and in 
 expressing sympathy and sorrow for the loss of such a very 
 magnificent patron as the late counselor had been to the -towns- 
 people; and then terrible whispers began circulating from 
 mouth to mouth as to the solvent state of the millionaire's 
 affairs at the time of his death. The extensive alterations go- 
 ing on in the villa had been undertaken by contract, and on 
 partial and hasty examination it was discovered that no secur- 
 ity of any value had been given by the counselor for future 
 payment when the elaborate and expensive work was finished. 
 The contractors looked at each other and shook their heads, 
 and when the hours rolled on, and the suggestion of the en- 
 gineer on the day the explosion took place, that the old gun- 
 powder would not have exploded unless a large quantity of 
 fresh material had been added to it, assumed the form of cer- 
 tainty, then it was that reports began to circulate implicating 
 the honor and upright dealing of the wealthy merchant. It 
 was a very ugly fact that a large quantity of explosive sub- 
 stance should have been stowed away in a vault right under 
 the room where the late owner of such an enormous income 
 usually kept the papers and documents and books relative to 
 iis business affairs. Why the powder should have been placed 
 there at all was a mystery many tried to solve. They had not 
 )ong to wait for the solution. On the third day confidential
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSS. 25? 
 
 fetters arrived from Berlin, where as yet no one had heard ot 
 his death, giving an account of the immense losses the coun- 
 selor must have sustained in the rash speculations he had been 
 indulging in lately, and how, in consequence of the panic in 
 the money market he had recklessly endeavored to retrieve 
 certain of his heavier losses by speculating largely in the op- 
 posite direction. How he had been able to conceal his losses 
 was another question, which people in town discussed freely 
 when the news from Berlin reached their ears. 
 
 Not even his confidential agent, the accountant at the spin- 
 ning manufactory, had the least idea that he had been specu- 
 lating beyond his means. Evidently, as one man observed to 
 another, the rich man had had the happy rare good fortune of 
 throwing dust in the eyes of those who were keenest in search- 
 ing for faults in their rich neighbors' actions, or he could not 
 have held on so long. And if what was darkly hinted was 
 true, and he had committed the terrible crime of blowing up 
 the silent witnesses to his disgrace and ruin, then again he had 
 brfen fortunate, for, after all, it was only surmise, and he 
 might have been in a position to recover his losses by the sale 
 of the valuable antiquities and pictures he had collected to- 
 gether in his rooms in the tower. But he had lost Ms own 
 life with his fortune, and however much he might have sinned 
 against others there was no evidence left to prove it, since the 
 tower was completely destroyed, with every letter and docu- 
 ment it contained. 
 
 While the catastrophe and its consequences were occupying 
 the minds of people in town, sadness and sorrow reigned in the 
 villa. The day following the explosion many intimate friends 
 of the family hastened to the house to hear for themselves all 
 about the terrible misfortune which had happened, and their 
 subdued voices and hushed footsteps had produced a sort of 
 confusion among the servants that was very trying in its re- 
 sults to one of Flora's impatient nature. The next day a 
 painful oppressive silence took possession of the house, visitors 
 were denied entrance, and most of the windows were tempo- 
 rarily boarded across to keep out the cold, and wind, and rain; 
 thus causing a dark gloomy half light in the rooms, and 
 making the outside of the dwelling look as if it had been 
 deserted. 
 
 News of the counselor's loss of fortune had not yet reached 
 the ears of Mine. Urach, whose whole thoughts were concen- 
 trated on the probable value of the villa and grounds, and whe 
 was likely to be its future possessor. With the egotism pecu 
 liar to old age she gave no heed to the death of tho counselor. 
 
 9
 
 258 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 or to the sorrow which might arise from such an event among 
 nis friends. All she thought of was herself, and the selfishness 
 inherent in her own and her granddaughter's nature never, 
 perhaps, displayed itself so conspicuously as during the few 
 days succeeding the blowing up of the tower. 
 
 In a few short words Flora had informed her grandmother 
 that her engagement to Dr. Bruck had been broken off, with- 
 out referring in any way to the cause of the rupture, and the 
 old lady had so far been roused from the train of her own 
 droughts as to express surprise and astonishment at the un- 
 expected news by shrugging her shoulders and uttering a few 
 sentences of vexation. After all, the change in her grand- 
 child's life was not half so serious, to her way of thinking, as 
 the terrible state of her own uncertainty respecting her future. 
 That she, an elderly lady, might suddenly, at any moment, be 
 plunged into the horrors of existing on a miserable pittance, 
 after living all these past years in princely affluence and luxury, 
 occupied all her attention. She hastily dismissed Flora from 
 her room, and begged her to devote her energies to the looking 
 over and sorting of any papers of value she had. in her pos- 
 session relative to Moriz's affairs, and not to worry over such 
 a thing of secondary importance as an interrupted wedding. 
 
 Down below, in the kitchen department, matters had arrived 
 at a very serious crisis. When the morning which had been 
 fixed for the wedding arrived, much doubt and anxiety were 
 expressed by several of the servants as to the likelihood of the 
 ceremony being peformed on that day. The whisper which 
 had been first heard among the workmen while putting up the 
 decorations had reached the kitchen, and produced a propor- 
 tionate amount of disaffection amonng the inmates of the 
 lower regions that soon made itself felt above stairs. The 
 man who brought the ices from town about ten o'clock was 
 full of the news in circulation, that the counselor's affairs were 
 in an utterly ruined condition. Very soon what he said was 
 confirmed by an exaggerated report which reached the villa an 
 hour or two later, to the effect that not only had the late 
 master lost everything, but that he was frightfully in debt into 
 the bargain. A panic seized the servants, and while some be- 
 gan packing up their boxes, ready for departure as soon as they 
 could extort their wages from the bewildered butler, others 
 quietly walked into the dining-room and helped themeslves to 
 the delicacies and viands prepared for the invited guests. The 
 confusion and discontent below was considerably increased 
 tfhen Flora's maid announced to che butler that her mistress's 
 wedding was put off, and that she had orders to let him knoir
 
 IN THF COUNSELOR'S HOUSH. 
 
 that the lawyers and town commissioners would arrive about 
 midday, in order to arrange certain matters relative to the 
 valuables in the house, and that he was to have the library 
 prepared for their reception. 
 
 The first symptoms of disaffection down-stairs were exhibited 
 by the careless indifference with which Mme. Urach's bell was 
 attended to. She rang, and instead of her summons being 
 answered at once she had to ring a second time; even then no 
 one appeared in reply, and the angry old lady was compeiied 
 to leave her room and appear at the head of the stairs to find 
 out the reason for such an unparalleled piece of neglect on the 
 part of her usual attendants. Leaning over the balustrade, she 
 saw a bevy of maids standing below talking and gesticulating 
 in such eager earnestness that she imagined they had not heard 
 her summons, till a few words of coarse reflection on the 
 family in general gave the haughty old lady a glimpse into the 
 insubordinate state of affairs, and caused her to retreat back to 
 her own room with a flush of scorn and anger on her face. 
 
 But none of this confusion had reached the wing of the 
 house where Henriette's private apartments were situated. 
 The invalid girl was a favorite in the servants' hall, and now 
 that they knew she was ill and suffering, not one of the whole 
 staff would have ventured to speak above a whisper, or walk, 
 except on tiptoe, on the staircase and landing leading to her 
 door, for fear of disturbing her or of adding to her pain. 
 Dr. Bruck had remarked to Nanni that her young mistress 
 was dangerously ill, and Nanni in her turn had weepingly 
 announced it to the servants below. 
 
 Henriette was lying on the sofa in her sitting-room, her 
 golden head supported by pillows, and her beautiful blue eyeo 
 closed for the moment in exhaustion. She knew she must die. 
 but she did not regret it; life for her had always been a burden. 
 
 The excitement of yesterday had been more than her frai' 
 body could bear, and toward morning she had had a violent fi ; 
 of coughing, and then sunk into a deep swoon from which Dr. 
 Bruck had great difficulty to rouse her. Her face was white 
 as snow, and her small, emaciated hand was as white as her 
 cheek. 
 
 As the young doctor gazed at her he knew that she would 
 be spared the pain of leaving her much-loved home to live 
 with Kathe at the Mill-house, according to Flora's suggestion 
 would be spared the still greater shame of hearing that her 
 brother-in-law's name was branded with the mark of infamy- 
 spared also the knowledge that he had sought his own death to 
 hade the consequences of his sins. She had around her all she
 
 360 ITS THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 cenld wish or desire; her last breath would be breathed in the 
 presence of the doctor, for whom she ever expressed the great- 
 est affection. He had promised her he would not leave her, 
 would not go away and settle in Leipsic till at least she " was 
 better," as she had remarked with an expressive smile, which 
 told the young doctor she knew that she must die soon. 
 
 Presently she rallied, took a little beaf-tea, and then, with 
 a sweet, gentle smile, laid her hand in Kathe's, and said : 
 
 " I am as happy now as I used to be in the spring, when 1 
 was staying with Auntie Diakonus. You are here to nurse 
 me, and you too " she turned her eyes to Dr. Bruck " Leo, 
 you and Kathe I love best in all the world; remember that 
 when I am gone." 
 
 Kathe had recovered rapidly from the effect of the blow on 
 her head, and within an hour of her return to consciousness 
 had been able to leave her bed and go about as usual. But 
 for her looking a little pale, with the plaster on the side of her 
 head and her hair hanging in two thick plaits down her back, 
 no one would have guessed that she had had such a remarkably 
 narrow escape of her life as to be first knocked down by a fly- 
 ing splinter of wood and then immersed in water from the 
 overflowing river, where she would have been drowned as she 
 lay if the keen eyes of love had not seen her fall. 
 
 She appeared as strong and able to walk about as usual, 
 and evinced no signs of languor in her outward manner, 
 though her heart was sinking within her at the sorrow before 
 her. She knew quite well that Ilenriette was dying, and it 
 was hard to part with her, although she tried to make herself 
 believe that it was best as it was for one whose life could never 
 be anything to its owner but one prolonged agony. 
 
 By the side of this grief was the bitter knowledge that her 
 guardian's conduct had been cruel and reprehensible, even if 
 no worse, toward those who had placed their faith in his in- 
 tegrity and upright dealing. She had heard the whisper in the 
 hall as she passed through; and when ehe asked Dr. Bruck, 
 with her eyes full of earnest anxiety raised to his face, if these 
 things were true, he had not replied " No ; " but had turned 
 away sorrowfully, and muttered, in a low voice: " I dare tell 
 you nothing now." And afterward he had relapsed into his 
 usual reserved, silent manner, from which Kathe made no at- 
 tempt to rouse him. 
 
 A few hours succeeding to Dr. Brack's interview with Flora 
 in her private apartment, he led his aunt into the anteroom 
 outside Henriette's chamber, and closed the communicating 
 doer. When the old ladv returned to the invalid's side, her
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 361 
 
 Byes were red with weeping, but her mouth and face generally 
 Bnone with a bright, subdued happiness, and she softly in- 
 formed the two girls that she intended going to stay at her 
 nephew's apartment in town while the house by the river was 
 being repaired. She did not reveal the subject of her private 
 conversation in the anteroom, but as she stooped over Hen- 
 riette and tenderly kissed her cheek, she whispered: 
 
 " When your sister Flora comes to see you presently, tell 
 her that I ran away without saying good-bye to her because I 
 ihink she would rather I did not disturb her. " 
 
 And pressing Kathe affectionately in her arms, she quietly 
 left the room, descended the side staircase, and left the villa. 
 
 An hour later Dr. Brack received a message from town com- 
 manding his presence at the palace. The prince desired to 
 consult him on some important matter connected with his 
 son's state of health; and as Henriette was in a quiet doze, 
 and her condition was not immediately alarming, he sprung on 
 the horse the messenger had brought with him, and rode off to 
 town. 
 
 A few moments after his departure Flora slowly ascended 
 the stairs to pay a visit to her young sister. Without turning 
 her eyes even toward the bed on which she imagined Kathe 
 was still lying, she passed on to Henriette 's sofa. She stayed 
 a short while by the sick girl, asked her one or two questions 
 which Henriette was too weak to answer, and then rose and 
 left the room, preferring to pass through the maid's bed-cham- 
 ber rather than risk an encounter with Kathe, who, from an 
 arm-chair in the corner behind the curtains, had watched 
 these strange maneuvers and wondered what they meant. 
 
 To her, Flora s strange behavior was an enigma, especially 
 when, as Flora moved away from the sofa, and she spoke softly 
 Co her not to disturb Henriette, she stared blankly in front of 
 her and pretended not to hear even the sound of Kathe's. 
 Toice. 
 
 Once also in the course of the morning Mme. Urach found 
 her way into Henriette's room, dressed in a black rustling silk, 
 with a crape veil fastened on her head. She looked so woe- 
 begone and miserable, with the tears pouring down her face, 
 that Kathe feared the excitement would do Henriette harm, 
 especially when the old lady began wringing her hands and 
 lamenting the " fearful position " of the household in conse- 
 quence of Moriz's death. 
 
 About ten o'clock on the morning of the third day after the 
 explosion, Mme. Urach suddenly entered Flora's study with a 
 newspaper in her hand and her face as pale as ashes. Her
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 grandchild was in the act of writing labels for several trunks 
 packed and corded in one corner of the room; but when she 
 saw the excited state of her grandmother, she rose and went 
 over to her, and leading her to an easy-chair, on which the old 
 lady sunk rather than sat down, said, anxiously: 
 
 ;< What is the matter?" 
 
 " My four thousand thalers are gone!" she moaned in an- 
 swer. " Child! child! I have been deceived by a scoundrel, a 
 villain, and my my all the savings that your grandfather 
 managed to leave me are all gone! My four thousand 
 thalers, that I saved and guarded as carefully 
 
 " No, grandmamma, keep to the truth! say rather your 
 four thousand thalers that you thoughtlessly and hopefully 
 speculated with!" cried Flora, in a hard, unsympathizing tone. 
 
 Did I not warn you? Did I not tell you to be careful? And 
 I was laughed at and called all sorts of ugly names because I 
 would not withdraw my fortune from the funds that were 
 secure, at any rate to double its value in your investment. 
 Now, who was right, you or I? Has the firm which you joined 
 become bankrupt?" 
 
 "Worse! It's a disgraceful affair! Just read for yourself. 
 The man must have been a fiend. There is no hope for recov- 
 ering a penny. I don't think I possess five pounds in the 
 world!" the old lady moaned aloud, handing the paper to 
 Mora, who scanned the passage rapidly and then laid the paper 
 down on the table. 
 
 " What I can not understand is, that they refer there to a 
 report circulated some days ago," the old lady continued; 
 " and if that is true, the fact must have been known for some 
 days four or five, at least. Moriz knew nothing about it. It 
 is very strange, and " 
 
 " Don't you think it likely the account might have been in 
 the papers you missed?" 
 
 " Ah! What? You fancy poor dear Moriz knew of this, 
 tJid hid the papers on purpose, so that I might not hear of this 
 terrible news till after the wedding? He thought it would 
 upset me! And he knew of my loss, and and it was he him- 
 self who talked me into it. Ah, yes! that is a good thought. 
 I can swear that Moriz persuaded me to go into that undertak- 
 ing; and, my dear, don't you agree with me that, as he misled 
 me in the affair, I can claim compensation out of the estate?" 
 
 Flora clasped her hands in despair, wondering how she was 
 to combat her grandmother's illusion without distressing her 
 by telling her the truth concerning the real state of affairs. 
 had shrunk hitherto from the difficult task in the vague
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR S HOUSE. 36tJ 
 
 hope that some one else woule: have incidentally made known 
 to her the disgraceful position in which Moriz's death had 
 placed them. But now there seemed no alternative but for 
 her to inform the old lady herself of the hopeless condition of 
 the counselor's affairs, and thus hinder her grandmother from 
 complicating matters by making false claims on a fortune 
 which did not exist. 
 
 " Grandmamma," she said, in a low voice, laying her hand 
 on the old lady's arm, " grandmamma, the first question to 
 consider is the value of the estate." 
 
 " How absurd you are, child! Just look out of the window 
 and you will soon know, if you have your senses all right, that 
 such a poor little sum as my four thousand thalers would 
 never be missed from the proceeds of the estate if it were sold. 
 Supposing, too, that Moriz's capital is irretrievably lost, as 
 they say all the books and papers relative to it are destroyed, 
 the land and house, to say nothing of the works of art con- 
 tained in every room, will realize an immense sum, quite suffi- 
 cient for us to live in luxury " she sighed a deep breath of 
 relief at the thought. " Why, my dear, the furniture of your 
 room alone would fetch a price that would repay me for my 
 loss almost. How thankful I should be. Flora, if I were cer- 
 tain about my right to inherit this house, and without going 
 through the nuisance of a lawsuit. " 
 
 " But supposing there is no necessity for you to enter upon 
 a lawsuit. " 
 
 Mme. Urach started. 
 
 " Are you mad, Flora? Weak and old as I am, I would run. 
 for hours, go without food and sleep for weeks rather than 
 willingly admit any other claim to this house than my own 
 Nonsense, child ! things have not taken such a terrible turn as 
 that yet. You are cruel and wrong to suggest it even. Do 
 you think that I I will give up all this luxury and comfort 
 and the courtly circle of friends I have gathered about me to a 
 poor obscure person, whose whole life has been spent in pov 
 erty, and whose manners and surroundings would be as out of 
 place here as a beggar's? No, my dear, I will not I will 
 fight for my right till I " 
 
 " There is no need to get so excited over the matter, grand- 
 mamma. The old aunt living by the Rhine will have as smaU 
 a claim to the property as you 
 
 " Who will? Are there other heirs?" 
 
 "Yes oreditors!" 
 
 Mme. Urach uttered a low cry of rage, and started from hot 
 chair.
 
 864 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Be quiet, I beseech you, grandmamma; don't make a 
 r cene, please!" murmured Flora. "The people down-stairs 
 '.now this better than I do, and are leaving the hcuse as quick- 
 ly ae rats do a sinking ship. I dare not conceal from you any 
 '/onger the terrible state of affairs, and now it only remains for 
 ns, as the speculator's dupes, to act in such a manner as not 
 to make ourselves ridiculous. You must not look like that, 
 grandmamma," and she arranged the old lady's untidy locks, 
 and pinned the crape veil tastefully across her head, and fast- 
 ened the lace round her throat more trimly with a cameo 
 brooch she took from her own dressing-table; " keep up your 
 own self-respect to the last. We must go away from here as 
 aoon and as quietly as we can the whole affair is utterly dis- 
 graceful. No one doubts that the explosion was a willful act 
 in plain terms, the act of a villain, as Moriz will henceforth 
 be called.". 
 
 " The scoundrel! the infamous knave!" screamed the old 
 lady, springing up from her chair and tearing about as if she 
 were going mad. 
 
 Pale as death, Flora quietly moved over to the open window 
 and shut it close. 
 
 " Take care, grandmamma," she said, warningly; " you 
 will be heard if you make such a noise as that. I have noticed 
 people are hanging about outside j they have been there all the 
 morning were there at six o'clock. I am sure they are hang- 
 ing about to see that none of our * valuables ' are removed 
 the cowards!" and her lips curled in scorn. " They are look- 
 ing after their own interests. I was told by my maid, while 
 drinking my coffee about an hour ago, that the tradesmen in 
 town are furious not a bill has been paid for six months, and 
 you know, grandmamma, at what an expensive rate even we 
 nave been living. The butcher has gained an entrance to the 
 hall, and declared that he means to see you as soon as you are 
 dressed. He holds you responsible for a heavy bill as mistresr 
 of the house, and has already been very insolent about us all to 
 the servants." 
 
 " Good God! what a position that wretch, whom I trusted 
 implicitly, has placed us in by his cowardly acts!" cried the old 
 lady, bursting into tears of rage and bitterness. : ' What are 
 we to do? The position is truly tragic! What shall we do? r 
 ind she wrung her hands, the very picture of despair. 
 
 " The first thing to do is to pack up our own private prop- 
 erty and every article that legally belongs to us, if we do not 
 wish to have a seal placed on it by those remorseless vagabonds 
 the bailiffs, who will be here some time to-day When once
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 263 
 
 Cfeey gam possession we may know that onr last chance is gone. 
 I was just about to fetch my " she checked herself with a 
 
 frim smile " my trousseau, and pack it in those boxes. Then 
 thought of taking an inventory of everything in the house, 
 and if you won't hand over the property to the men yourself " 
 
 " Indeed I won't neither now nor " 
 
 " Then the housekeeper will have to do it. We have every 
 reason to say with truth that we are ill." 
 
 Taking from a drawer of her writing-table the key of the 
 room where her trousseau was laid out, she moved away to the 
 door, followed by her grandmother, who was bitterly muttering 
 to herself angryinvectives against the author of all her misery 
 and distress. Flora led her to her own room, set her down hi 
 an easy-chair, and then went off as quickly as she could on her 
 own errand of packing up her wedding finery. 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 THE wind blew gently across the tops of the trees near the 
 house, scattering the golden drops of the fountain in a showery 
 spray over the side of the marble basin, and then wafted the 
 sweet scent of the mignonette through the open window as far 
 as the sofa-bed where Henrietta was lying. The red-leaved 
 creeper hanging round the window swayed to and fro in tha 
 air, as if it, too, would Like to follow the perfume of the flow* 
 ers, and find its way as far as the white muslin curtains sur- 
 rounding the sick girl's couch. 
 
 Kathe sat by the bed watching her sister while she slept, and 
 gazing tenderly at the wan appearance of her white face and 
 the thin, attenuated look of the hand resting on the coverlid, 
 not daring to rise from her seat and send away the bird 4, 
 clamoring for their usual morning meal at the window-sill, for 
 fear of disturbing the light sleeper. Every breath was so short 
 and weak, it was painful to see it come and go; and Kathe 
 knew, from the sad experience she had gained in nursing her 
 sister the last few days, that sleep to her was life. The twit- 
 tering of the hungry little creatures outside made the young 
 girl nervous, for the stillness in the room had begun to feel 
 oppressive, and no sound in the house could be heard through 
 the carpeted floors of the corridor. 
 
 Nanni sat in the inner room, working as usual on some light 
 material that made no rustling noise each time she moved. 
 Every now and again she looked up from her work and gazed 
 curiously for a moment at the " young lady from the mill " 
 sitting 1 in the arm-chair, who had lost half a million of mouej
 
 866 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 in the explosion, and yet " looked just as sweet and simple aa 
 over/' dressed in a soft white morning- wrapper, with her fresh 
 young face graver than usual, earnestly watching her sleeping 
 charge. 
 
 "So young and full of life, and yet she does not care for 
 gayety a bit/' thought the waiting- woman to herself as hei 
 ueedle flew in and out in that noiseless way which made her 
 presence in a sick-room an invaluable boon. " She is not a 
 bit like Fraulein Flora, who thinks of no one but herself. One 
 would think she didn't know the value of money, she takes her 
 loss so quietly, whereas her elder sister is packing away as hard 
 as she can to secure her own things safely. She has run that 
 poor maid of hers off her legs finding her things this morning 
 not a handkerchief will she leave behind. She says she is 
 going to Leipsic first to arrange matters for the wedding there, 
 and that her good lover God bless him for a nice gentleman, 
 far too good for her! -is going to follow as soon as the poor 
 little one is better. What a proud thing she is, to be sure she 
 seems to think no one good enough to wait on her, and she 
 lets that dear, sweet " 
 
 Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking in one of 
 the adjoining rooms which caused the invalid to half open her 
 eyes and Kathe to rise quickly from her chair and beckon to 
 Nanni to take her place and hold the little thin hand on the 
 coverlid. 
 
 Quietly and quickly Kathe opened the door of Henriettas 
 room, closed it behind her, and then without any ceremony 
 opened the door of the adjoining apartment and entered. 
 
 Flora was kneeling down on the ground, in the act of fold- 
 ing her wedding-veil, when Kathe appeared before her. The 
 long satin and lace dress which was tc ?iave adorned her beau- 
 tiful person two days previously was hanging from its stand 
 and partly covering her shoulder as she stooped over the trunk, 
 and the maid was unfastening the orange-blossoms and laying 
 them in a card-box at the side, in order to pack the dress with- 
 out injury to its freshness. 
 
 " I am very sorry I had no idea the knocking could be 
 heard in Henriette's room, or I would not have done it," said 
 Flora, in answer to Kathe's remark that the noise was disturb- 
 ing their sister's sleep. " I am sure it did not once enter my 
 head she could hear me. I have been nailing the labels on to 
 those trunks." Her voice trembled slightly, though she spoke 
 quietly. " You move about yourself so noiselessly that one 
 might imagine it was the ghost of an ancestor doomed to roam 
 over the scenes of her former *vxifiteuce," a wicked smile part
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 26? 
 
 fcd her lips as she added: " and mischief seems to follow your 
 footsteps wherever you go a mark of three crosses ought to 
 be made, and " She dismissed her maid with a haughty 
 wave of her hand; then, as Kathe was silently following the 
 woman's example, she flung the veil, with a jerk, into the 
 trunk, and cried out: 
 
 " Stay here! If you have one particle of honor left in your 
 woman's nature you will hear what I have to say. " 
 
 Kathe gently put the hand aside which held her dress, and 
 turned round. 
 
 "I will listen to anything you have to say, " she replied, 
 fixing her earnest eyes on the excited and passionate face of 
 her interlocutor, " only don't speak so loud, please, or Hen- 
 riette will hear you. ' ' 
 
 Flora did not answer; she seized Kathe's hand and drew her 
 over to the window. 
 
 " Come here!" she said. " Let me look at you I want to 
 see how you look after being kissed. " 
 
 The young girl started back and instinctively turned her 
 head from the scrutinizing gaze of the impertinent face bent 
 toward her, and a rush of color dyed her face crimson with 
 shame at being so addressed. 
 
 " You have no right, elder sister as you are, to speak to me 
 in any such tone." 
 
 " Ah, very well, little innocent; but I in my turn say to 
 you, that, younger sister as you are, how dare you raise your 
 eyes to the man to whom your elder sister is engaged?" 
 
 Kathe started again as if she had been struck by an unseen 
 hand. Who could possibly have dived down into the very 
 deepest recesses of her heart, and brought to light the secret 
 she had striven with all the power of her young, passionate nat- 
 ure to hide even from her own sight? Painfully conscious that 
 her face was becoming white as death, that she had no right to 
 che secret thus unexpectedly divulged by the one who had just 
 cause to condemn its very existence, she made no attempt to 
 speak, and her pale lips did not move. 
 
 " Bad conscience! Your looks condemn you, little one. In 
 there, you know that my accusation is true!" She lightly 
 touched the girl's bosom with her finger, and laughed a low, 
 mocking laugh. " You see, my dear, an elder sister can not 
 be duped; she is able to read to the innermost record the hid- 
 den thoughts of an ' innocent ' girl's hart like yours, and 
 knows every sign of the would-be artlessness which tried to 
 captivate the heart of the man vou have dared to fall in love
 
 268 nr THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 frith, from the graceful tribute of leaving flowers in his room, 
 to" 
 
 A tinge of color came back to the marble face, a power o' 
 movement to the rigid figure. Was it possible that such a 
 simple act of f orgetf ulness an act that she had often regretted 
 since, not on account of the construction that might be put on 
 it, but on account of the bitterness she felt when the young 
 doctor silently removed them out of his room could it be that 
 such a simple act was to be a cause of reproach to her now? 
 Anger and just indignation brought life to her cold, trembling 
 limbs and gave her courage to speak. 
 
 " I acknowledge it was a piece of thoughtless f orgetf ulness 
 on my part/' she said, drawing herself up with a gesture as 
 haughty as an insulted queen. " Whoever thought it neces- 
 sary to tell you of the circumstances has " 
 
 " It was he himself." 
 
 "Then I am morally certain you have falsified what he 
 said." 
 
 " Take care! take care what you are saying; my patience is 
 Tery nearly exhausted," cried Flora, with a sneer, and tapping 
 her foot on the floor in angry impatience. " You think I 
 speak falsely? Does he when he boasts of his conquest over 
 
 The color which dyed Kathe's cheeks a moment ago van- 
 ished as quickly as it came; she shook her head, and after a 
 short pause said, firmly: 
 
 " I won't believe it, not if you assert it a thousand times 
 over. I would rather doubt everything we are taught to honor 
 and reverence in our intercourse with the world than that lie 
 is capable of such an untruth. No, no," she went on, pas- 
 sionately. " He would not make such an unmanly boast, 
 even he himself in the privacy of his own room. He is honor- 
 able, noble, grand " she checked herself suddenly, and lower- 
 ing her voice, added: " You were always suspicious of him, 
 hatefully, wickedly so; I heard that with my own ears when 1 
 first came in the spring. I dared not enter your presence 
 when he was with you, but now that I know him better, know 
 how upright and true he is, it does not hurt me so much that 
 you malign him, you and you only. How you can find it in 
 your heart to do it is a mystery to me; your notions of honor 
 must be very vague, Flora, or you could not and would not 
 speak evil of a man to whom you are to be married so shortly. " 
 
 Flora started and looked up at her indignant young sister 
 with doubt and cariosity strangely mingled in the expression 
 on her face she seemed scarcelv to be able to believe her ear&~
 
 TN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 261 
 
 " Either you are the most finished actress, or a declaration 
 of love must be printed in black letters on a white ground for 
 you to understand it. Do you really know nothing?" With 
 en impertinent smile which showed all her teeth and made her 
 face look almost diabolical, she took hold of Kathe's two arms, 
 gazed searchiugly into her eyes, and then pushed her angrily 
 away, saying: 
 
 " Bah! what more can I want? Have you not excited your- 
 self and defended him till you have scarcely a breath left?" 
 
 Kathe turned aside and walked toward the door. 
 
 " I don't see what you detained me for just now." 
 
 " Don't you? Am I so obscure then in my expressions? 
 Must I speak more plainly? Well, then, my dear, I do not 
 want to know anything more, nor anything less, than how Leo 
 Bruck has behaved to you since yesterday morning? what he 
 has said to you?" 
 
 " How he has behaved to me? what he has said? That you 
 can hear in a very few words. He tried hard to make me 
 understand that my blind hope in Henriette's recovery was 
 false he tried very kindly to prepare me," her voice broke 
 and the tears rolled down her cheeks, " for Henrietta's death; 
 she can not get better." 
 
 Flora drew back silently remorse for a moment overcoming 
 her; perhaps also the presentiment that she was playing a los- 
 ing game with these two young people. 
 
 " Did you not know that long ago?" she said presently, in a 
 low tone; " have you not often said that for her to go away 
 forever would be a happy release from so much suffering?" 
 Then walking gently up to Kathe again, she added: "And was 
 that the entire subject of your conversation with him word 
 for word, all he said?" 
 
 A miserable suspicious feeling took possession of Kathe's 
 mind that Flora sought an answer to this question, not so much 
 from simple jealousy as from pure vanity; and she replied, 
 rather stiffly: " Do you think that Doctor Bruck could possi- 
 bly take an interest in anything else while watching by the 
 bedside of a dying girl, especially when that girl is the truest 
 and most faithful friend he has?" 
 
 " I know she loves him," replied Flora. 
 
 An indignant flush rose to Kathe's face, and Flora, noticing 
 it, went on, with heartless want of tact: 
 
 " Yes, the man may congratulate himself that he can at- 
 tract and win girls' hearts as easily as flame allures moths to 
 singe their wings at its light. How the world will chuckle 
 tvhen the fact is made known tl&fc each of Banker Mangold'j
 
 270 TXf THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 daughters have been foolish enough to worship at the samo 
 .shrine! Stay here! You shall not go yet!" 
 
 She had hitherto spoken in a half -bantering, half-sarcastic 
 tone, but when the young girl moved toward the door she 
 uttered the command for her to remain in a loud, threatening 
 voice that rooted Kathe to the spot with astonishment and 
 terror, for fear the wild cry had been heard in the sick-room. 
 
 " Yes, I mean what I say; even our youngest sister, the 
 owner of the mill and Mill-house, stout of limb and courageous 
 of heart, has been weak enough to lay her weapons of defense 
 at this man's feet, and beg for a smile of approval. Oh, yes! 
 you may look as indignant and haughty as you please, but you 
 know it is true true that you surrendered heart and soul with- 
 out his " 
 
 " Flora, how dare you speak so! You know that what you 
 are saying is false 
 
 "False? Very well, I will believe you, and you can clear 
 yourself of my accusation if you choose by withdrawing what 
 
 S>u said just now, with such charming empressement, about 
 s honor and faith/' 
 
 " I will not withdraw one single expression." 
 
 " Ah, you won't? You are a wicked girl to fall in love with 
 him. Look at me, Kathe! You dare not, you can not look me 
 in the face and say you did not ?" 
 
 Kathe raised her head, and gazed at her sister in speechless 
 entreaty. She put her hand to the wound on her head, 
 which was throbbing from the excitement of the conversation, 
 but she took no heed to it; all her thoughts were concentrated 
 on the subject of her sister's unkind remarks. Her heart beat 
 fast, and her breath came and went quickly, as she said, as 
 firmly as she could: 
 
 " You have no right, Flora, to ask me such a question, and 
 I am not bound to answer you; but you have called me 
 wicked, and spoken of treachery; they are words 1 have ap- 
 plied to myself, and " 
 
 " A confession, in plain terms." 
 
 A faint smile flitted across the girl's pale lips and shone in 
 her eyes, but her cheeks were as white as the linen band on her 
 head, as she said, sadly: 
 
 " Yes, I do confess what I have no need to be ashamed of; 
 but I will not confess to being guilty of the mean act you ac- 
 cuse me of, that of wishing to win to myself the affection of 
 your lover. We can not help our feelings no one can; we are 
 answerable, however, for the use we make of them the way 
 we indulge them. Is it wioked to worship and reverence the
 
 nr THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 2T* 
 
 peace of a household? Is r >. wrong to admire the beauty of a 
 grand tree growing in another man's garden? And I ask you, 
 is it wrong to love without one shade of envy? I will have 
 nothing to do with either of you. I will never cross yours or 
 your lover's path again; you shall neither of you ever hear of 
 me again; you shall not even be able to say that I ever re- 
 minded you of my existence. How could it hurt your wedded 
 nappiness if I love him to the end of my life " 
 
 A bitter laugh interrupted her. 
 
 " Bravo, little one! We shall have you breaking forth inrv 
 verse next. " 
 
 " No, Flora, I leave that to you; all I say is, that I feel 1 
 have left far behind me the even and quiet paths of girlhood, 
 and that since I have had this load to carry in my heart, my 
 feelings and impressions are deeper, and perhaps more ear- 
 nest. " 
 
 She stepped back from the door where she had been stand- 
 ing, and went toward the inner part of the room. As she 
 passed the rack where Flora's wedding-dress still hung she 
 inadvertently touched it with her foot, and brought it to the 
 ground with a rustling noise. Shocked and vexed with herself 
 for her awkwardness, she stooped to pick it up and repair the 
 mischief she had done by placing it back in its upright posi- 
 tion; but Flora kicked it aside with her foot, and said, snap- 
 pishly: 
 
 " Let the rubbish be! Even that lifeless thing resents your 
 wickedness, and falls over directly you touch it. " 
 
 " Do you think you are free from fault yourself, Flora?" asked 
 Kathe, the angry blood mantling in her face, for her nature 
 was passionate, and she felt she had been bitterly wounded and 
 unjustly accused. That last taunt roused her anger, and she 
 forgot prudence and discretion, and Henriette, and everything, 
 and cried out: " What was it made me first begin to care for 
 the man you say it is wicked to love? It was pity, warm, deep 
 pity for one whom you did not understand, whom you slan- 
 dered and wounded at every turn in private life, and snubbed 
 and pained when others were near. If it was such a fearful 
 crime for another to love him, why did you seek to free your- 
 self from your engagement, why did you tell him that you 
 would not marry him, that you hated him? I heard it, if you 
 care to remember. I was by your side when you flung your 
 ring into the water and cried out: ' Free, free!' ' 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, Kathe, don't excite yourself in such a 
 way!" Flora cried, pressing her hands over her ears. 
 
 A moment later she held the finger on which she wore the
 
 272 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE." 
 
 betrothal-ring close to Kathe 's eyes, and said, as her lips part- 
 sd in a sardonic smile: 
 
 " There, there it is! I can swear that you will find no flaw 
 in it; every letter is perfect in the engraving. However, to 
 bring the matter to an end, I will tell you that this golden 
 hoop has finished the part it has to play in my life. My en- 
 gagement to Doctor Bruck is broken. 
 
 Kathe started. 
 
 " But once before you said your engagement was broken, 
 and he would not consent to it," she stammered out, breath- 
 lessly. 
 
 " Yes, I know; but then the miserable traitor had a grain 
 of honor left in him; now he has none." 
 
 " Flora, has has he consented?" 
 
 " Yes, he has, and if you wish to hear " 
 
 "Then he never loved you! and it was not love for you 
 which made him refuse his consent in the spring; he must have 
 had another motive. Thank God! Thank God, he can still 
 be a happy man!" 
 
 " Do you think so? You forget I am here, my dear," said 
 Flora, seizing the arm of her young sister while she glanced 
 expressively in her face from under her knitted eyebrows. " I 
 will never forgive him for making me beg for my liberty and 
 refusing it; now he shall learn what it is to have the coveted 
 cup lifted to his lips and then dashed to the ground just as he 
 expects to drink the sweet draught. I will not give up my 
 ring no, not if I have to hold it fast with my teeth. " 
 
 " The false one the one you wear in place of the true one 
 you threw into the water?" 
 
 " Can you prove that, my wise one? If so, where are your 
 witnesses? It will be simply absurd to accuse me of such an 
 act of insanity. However, make yourself happy. I am not 
 so diabolically cruel as to hinder my late lover from the joys 
 of married life. Oh, no, he can marry to-morrow if he will, 
 only it must be with some one he does not love. He may 
 marry for money, position what he will : against that I have 
 nothing to urge. I will have him watched night and day, and 
 the moment I see him turning in the direction I do not choose, 
 woe be to him, and woe be to her if he selects the one I do not 
 intend he shall marry!" 
 
 Snatching up one of the orange-blossoms lying on the table, 
 she twisted it in and out her fingers till it was a mass of torn 
 and crumpled leaves, then she went on, slowly: 
 
 " Well, Kathe, you love him; have you no desire to beg fo: 
 inercy for him? Think u moment. I have his happiness iu
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 278 
 
 my power. I can give it or withdraw it as I please. This 
 power is a priceless boon to me, and yet I am greatly tempted 
 to freely give it up, in order to prove the strength and depth 
 of so-called genuine love. And I will, too; I will hand this 
 ring over to you, and with it transmit to you the right of giv- 
 ing it to whomsoever you please; but understand me thorough- 
 ly, in accepting this power you act in my stead, exactly as if it 
 were I instead of you; and remember that I from this moment 
 shall lay no claim to it myself. Will you, can you, accept 
 the conditions in order to give to Doctor Bruck the freedom he 
 wishes for?" 
 
 Involuntarily Kathe clasped her hands together on her 
 bosom, and the muscles round her mouth worked painfully 
 with the struggle going on within. 
 
 " I will accept the hardest conditions if thereby I can free 
 Doctor Bruck from your clutches." The voice was clear, but 
 very low. 
 
 " Don't make rash promises; you may be sacrificing your 
 own happiness and peace of mind. " 
 
 The young girl was silent; she raised her hand to the band- 
 age on her head, and over her expressive face courage, strength, 
 and faith in herself passed in rapid succession. 
 
 " I know what I am doing; there is no need to reflect about 
 it," she said, simply. 
 
 Flora held a second spray of orange-blossom in her hand; 
 she put it against her nose as if inhaling its perfume, while she 
 gave her sister a searching side glance. 
 
 " But supposing, in order to humiliate me, he were to wish 
 foryou?" 
 
 Kathe caught her brreath, but she replied, steadily: 
 
 " He will not do that; you told me yourself he did not like 
 me." 
 
 " Eight. But we will just for a moment suppose that he 
 came to you and told you that he loved you; in such a case the 
 pledge for his freedom would be in very bad hands, don't you 
 think so? For you know that, once the ring is in your hands, 
 you represent me, and you would have to say him nay; no, the 
 temptation would be too much for you. I shall keep my ring 
 myself." 
 
 " Good heavens! is it possible for one sister to enjoy tor 
 menting another to this cruel extent!" Kathe cried out in the 
 bitterness of her heart. " And yet, just because you are so 
 selfish, because you have no mercy in your heart, and because 
 you love to play fast and loose with this poor fellow, I will do 
 all in my power to free him from you. You shall not dart
 
 374 
 
 exercise your power over him. He shall begin a fresh. Iife 5 
 shall enjoy home affections, and shall not be forced to walk by 
 the side of one who cares for naught else in the world but 
 society and herself. " 
 
 " You are very flattering! You are far too much interested 
 in him, show yourself too warm a partisan of his for me to 
 confide my golden bauble to your care. " 
 
 " Give it to me; I accept your conditions; you may trus^ 
 .oie." 
 
 " And if he really and truly loves you?" 
 
 The girl's lips quivered painfully and she clasped her hands 
 together, but she did not waver in her resolution. 
 
 " Even if it were so, I will keep my promise: he would 
 easily find a girl to love far preferable to me : besides, he is not 
 likely to make a mistake twice. Give me the ring; it is false, 
 I know, and has not the least right to be a link between you 
 still I promise to do as you say, as surely as that other is 
 under the water, for the sole reason of redeeming Leo Bruck's 
 right to his freedom." 
 
 She stretched out her hand for the ring. 
 
 " As far as I have been able to judge your character, I give 
 you credit for being far too honorable to make use of the tiny 
 hoop for your own advantage," said Flora, impressively, put- 
 ting the ring into her hand. 
 
 Kathe shivered as the gold touched her, and closing her 
 fingers on the hardly won gift, a bitter smile hovered round 
 her lips, as she thought that Flora had judged her rightly in 
 saying that she was too honorable to make use of the prize for 
 her own advantage. " And too proud also," she might have 
 added. 
 
 " Well?" said Flora, noticing the smile, and not able to 
 understand its meaning. 
 
 " You have my word," she said, raising her closed hand and 
 shaking it in the air. " You ought to be content, " she add- 
 ed, sadly, and opened the door to depart. 
 
 At that moment Dr. Bruck crossed the hall on his return 
 from town. He glanced at the open door-way and saw the 
 sisters, the elder with a look of conscious triumph shining on 
 her face as she caught sight of him and coldly bent her head 
 in greeting, while the younger one, with a hasty step and 
 blushing face turned rapidly in the opposite direction, but not 
 before he had had time to note the sad expression on her 
 mouth and the frightened look in her eyes as hers met his. 
 He harried after her, and a moment later the door closed an<?
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUS15. 27* 
 
 Flora's mocking, hollow laugh was deadened behind the cur- 
 tains. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THAT same afternoon the bailiffs arrived from town to take 
 possession of the house. They had been expected from early 
 morning, preparations had even been made for their reception: 
 but when at last they did arrive the whole household felt as if 
 they received a shock. Late as it was, they yet came too soon 
 
 Mme. Urach's old-fashioned furniture, which had been 
 stowed away in the lumber-room when years ago she went to 
 stay with the counselor, was being dusted in the upper hall 
 preparatory to being packed; Flora's numerous trunks were 
 still standing in the court-yard waiting for the carts; and 
 various empty packages of large size, which the servants had 
 not had time to fill with the few dozens of rare and costly wine 
 specially regarded as Mme. Urach's property, were scattered 
 about the hall in every direction. 
 
 When the sheriff sent a message to Mme. Urach, begging for 
 an interview, she sternly declined to see him, on the plea that 
 her nerves were already upset with grief and excitement, and 
 that it was quite beyond her power to accede to his wish. And 
 when later on the old lady was informed that in consequence 
 of the furniture of her private apartment not being her own 
 personal property, she must allow the bailiffs to take an in- 
 ventory of the contents of the rooms and put their seal to the 
 doors, she proudly retired to an empty little chamber on the 
 same floor, and ordered her own old-fashioned sofa to be car- 
 ried there for her use, rather than encounter a personal inter- 
 view with the unwilling authors of her misery. The sheriff, 
 who was a good-natured, pleasant man, felt great compassion 
 for the proud, selfish old lady, and ordered his subordinates to 
 place a few small luxuries from her elegant apartment at hei 
 disposal before closing the doors and applying the seal. 
 
 In the meantime Flora was hastily gathering together as 
 many valuable objects from the drawing-room table as she 
 could carry away. In vain the servants respectfully urged her 
 to desist and leave things as they were. She would not listen 
 to their remonstrance, and sternly bade them do her bidding. 
 
 They were hers and her grandmother's, given to them at 
 various times by the counselor and other friends, and she would 
 not leave them to be " confiscated " by those terrible Jews. 
 But when the bailiffs arrived and the sheriff politely informed 
 her that she must touch nothing in the rooms- -that not an
 
 276 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 article must be disturbed or carried out of the house until sin 
 had proved her claim to it as her own personal property that 
 he was sorry to undeceive her, but things must remain as they 
 were, and he must attach his seal to each separate room, and 
 that afterward whatever article she might apply for and prove 
 as her own would be restored to her. For the present, how- 
 ever, nothing must be removed from its place. On this she 
 became very angry, and insisted that she had a right to he* 
 own things when those " things " were her personal effects; 
 but he was firm, and she had no alternative but to submit, 
 which she did at last with a very bad grace. 
 
 The only part of the house left undisturbed by the bailiffs 
 was the left wing inhabited by Kathe and Henriette. 
 
 Dr. Bruck sent for the sheriff, and in a few words informed 
 him of Henriette 's condition, and how impossible it would be 
 for him to fulfill his duty and take an inventory of a room 
 wherein a girl lay dying; Besides/' he added, " I know for 
 certain that the furniture about her is her own; it was a gift 
 from her late brother-in-law, the counselor, on her birthday 
 two years ago, and is as much her own property as the night- 
 dress she has on at present/ ' 
 
 The sheriff bowed acquiescence, and gave orders to his sub- 
 ordinates for those rooms to be left in peace; after which the 
 young doctor returned to the bedside of the dying girl. He 
 had not been absent a quarter of an hour, but when he re-en- 
 tered the room he saw that a change had come over her even 
 in that short space of time. She was lying with her face 
 turned to the open window, through which the setting sun was 
 hiding behind glorious clouds of crimson and golden hues; 
 swallows were flying around the window-sill, hastening home 
 to their nests under the overhanging roof; and the song of the 
 blackbird could be heard in the distance, mingling with the 
 cooing of the doves in their cote. 
 
 The young doctor resumed his seat by the bed and gently 
 laid his fingers on the dying girl's hand. He felt the flutter- 
 ing pulse, and signed to Kathe to wipe her brow. 
 
 "Flora!" she whispered, raising her eyes to his face with a 
 beseeching gaze. 
 
 " Would you like to see her?" he asked, rising to go and 
 fetch her. 
 
 Henriette faintly shook her head. 
 
 " No don't be vexed if I would rather be with you and 
 Kathe alone until " she did not finish her sentence, but 
 began picking at the vine-leaves she had entreated to have laid 
 on the sheet near her head. " I will spare her that ^ke will
 
 IN THE COUNSELOB'S HOUSE, 277 
 
 thank me and yon know she hates emotional scenes;" a faint 
 smile flickered for a second round her lips. " You will give 
 my love to her, Leo.'* 
 
 The young man silently bowed his head, while Kathe's heart 
 beat fast with a dread that she could scarcely define to herself. 
 Henriette assumed still that the old relationship existed be- 
 tween the doctor and Flora ought she to be told the truth? 
 She glanced uneasily at the young man's face, and noticed how 
 grave and sad it looked; but he made no attempt to answer, 
 and evidently did not intend disturbing his patient's mind 
 with news that there was no express need for her to hear. 
 
 Again she opened her eyes, and her gaze wandered to the 
 window. 
 
 " How lovely the sky is. For the free soul to be there must 
 be very heavenly/' she whispered. " I wonder if it will be 
 possible to look down on earth when one is there. I should 
 like to be sure that you are happy, Leo," she murmured, turn- 
 ing her head with difficulty to look at him, and her large eyea 
 were soft and tender in their expression " quite happy when 
 I atn gone. You are so good you deserve really to be happy. " 
 
 The stern grave expression of the doctor's face vanished, and 
 a smile beamed in his eyes as, stooping over the exhausted 
 girl, he said, softly: 
 
 " My future is going to be very happy, Henriette. I think 
 I may hope that I shall not always be alone; or rather, I know 
 I shall not if God spares me, and does my saving so give you 
 pleasure, my dear little sister?" 
 
 He took the small thin hand in his, and bending his head 
 low to her face, kissed her on the cheek. A faint color rose to 
 her cheek as she looked across at Kathe with a contented smile 
 shining brightly in her eyes; then, as if something in Kathe's 
 attitude of dejection pained her, the smile died away from her 
 lips, and she said, between gasps for breath: 
 
 " Dear Leo, look at Kathe, and let me tell you now that 
 your coldness to her has so often hurt me hurts me here," 
 and she pointed to her heart. " You have been unkind to her 
 sometimes, Leo; I have never been able to understand why. 
 She has no one to love her. Be kind to her, Leo stand by 
 her." 
 
 " I will, dear, till death!" he said low down in her ear, with 
 more earnestness of tone than he intended. 
 
 " Good that is right, Leo now I am happy. Take care 
 of her, and she will stand between you and trouble, as she ha 
 done for me."
 
 278 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " I will, like the true sister I will be to him from tMs daj 
 forth/' broke in Kathe in a low, choked voice. 
 
 A sweet smile hovered round Henriette's mouth, and she 
 closed her eyes too soon to see Kathe turn away her head, and 
 with a gesture of her hand wave aside the doctor's outstretched 
 fingers, as if the promise she had just given did not require 
 ratifying with a clasp of the hand. 
 
 The smile broadened, and the dying girl laughed aloud; but 
 the effort produced a rattle in her throat. 
 
 " Love to grandmamma," she muttered. " I want to sleep 
 to be at rest. Leo, let me sleep sleep " 
 
 " In a few minutes you shall sleep, dear/' he answered^ 
 soothingly. 
 
 He put her hand on the sheet, and gently raising her head, 
 slipped his arm round her neck and drew her close to his 
 breast; and in a few moments she was asleep the long, deep 
 sleep from which there is no awakening in this life. 
 
 The doctor laid her down and reverently coverei her face; 
 then, going over to the window, he drove the little birds away 
 from the sill where they were waiting for their evening meal, 
 closed it and drew down the blind, and taking Kathe by the 
 hand, slowly and silently led her out of the room. 
 
 A few hours later, when Mme. Urach opened the door to look 
 at her dead granddaughter, she appeared at least ten years 
 older than when she last entered that room. She had taken 
 off the black crape veil she had worn for a day, and put on in 
 its place the usual white tulle, for " no one/' she remarked, 
 " would wear mourning for such a ' villain ' as the counselor 
 had proved himself to be." She walked over to the bed, raised 
 the handkerchief which covered the face of the dead girl, and 
 her lips trembled as she said, in a broken \oice: " She is at 
 rest at last; it is best so; she is not forced to leave her cher- 
 ished home and go among strangers. The bitter, hateful 
 struggle with poverty is spared to her." 
 
 Then Flora silently entered and walked over to the bedside 
 is if no one were in the room but herself. She stooped and 
 kissed Henriette's cold forehead, lingering for a moment to 
 look at her, but taking no notice of the silent pair of watchers 
 on the other side not even when the doctor spoke to her, and 
 quietly delivered her dying sister's message, did she give the 
 smallest sign that she had heard the words he uttered. Lay- 
 ing the handkerchief back on the face, she turned and crossed 
 over to the door, where, in answer to the young doctor's repe- 
 tition of the message, she slightly bowed her head, drew net' 
 justling skirts together, and closed the door behind her.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 279 
 
 Ten minutes later she stood in the hall, ready dressed, wait- 
 ing for the fly which was to convey her and her grandmother 
 to the hotel where rooms had been taken for them till they 
 had decided where to permanently take up their abode; for 
 the villa being in the hands of the ba-iffs, to stay there another 
 night was out of the question. Eveii the cold remains of the 
 poor little invalid were to be removed to the house adjoining 
 Mie church-yard as soon as darkness had completely fallen on 
 the earth. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ABOUT nine o'clock Kathe stood at the foot of the stone 
 steps weeping bitterly. She had said farewell to the room 
 where she and Henriette had passed many happy hours to- 
 gether, had kissed the cold forehead of the sister whose suffer- 
 ing was at an end now, and had silently bidden adieu to the 
 only servant left behind to aid in guarding the house. At the 
 bottom of the steps she stood still, and while involuntarily 
 looking back at the dwelling where such a host of sad circum- 
 stances had taken place, she shivered and trembled as she 
 thought of all that had happened there during the past few 
 days. The soft night wind playing on her forehead did her 
 good, and cooled the fevered flush of her cheeks and eyes. It 
 was a lovely night, with stars shining brightly in the blue 
 heavens a night when all nature seemed wrapped in silence, 
 when the wind was hushed and the rustling of the branches 
 stilled, as if the awe-inspiring beauty of darkness had calmed 
 the scene into quietude. 
 
 Slowly Kathe descended the steps and turned mechanically 
 in the direction of the Mill-house. 
 
 She had reached the avenue, and was standing still for a 
 moment to contemplate the view around her, when she was 
 startled and frightened at the sound of footsteps. Her knees 
 began to shake, but before she had time to move, the doctor's 
 deep, sonorous voice broke the silence. 
 
 "I am leaving town in a day or two," he said, "and 1 
 think I am right in saying that you will not come and see my 
 aunt, nor allow me to visit you at the Mill-house ere my de- 
 parture? Hence, I suppose, this will be the last time we shall 
 lind ourselves together at least for the present " 
 
 " Never again," interrupted Kathe, firmly but sadly. 
 
 " Nay, Kathe, you are wrong there," he said, decidedly. 
 '* It would be a separation forever if I acccepted our promise 
 to Henriette this afternoon; but I do not want you to be
 
 !880 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 my sister such a relationship I will not have. .Oo you think 
 a man would be content with kind, sisterly letters, when he ia 
 thirsting for a word of love from his beloved one's lips? But 
 no, I must not say that to-day I know I must be silent 
 though my heart is bursting to help you to bear the sorrow 
 which has come to you this very day. I may not speak what 
 is in my heart, but I will say one thing, Kathe: I could see by 
 the expression of your face when I offered you my hand by 
 Henriette's bedside that you had been told what had happened 
 between Flora and me, and I know that you think I am to 
 blame in the matter. I can bear that but what I can not 
 bear is that you should keep that promise of being as a sister 
 to me. Kathe, I know that you have been influenced that 
 you dare not give me I saw by your face," he went on, 
 after a slight pause, during which her heart throbbed so fast 
 that she thought she should suffocate " I knew by the way 
 you turned your head aside that you could not trust your- 
 self to keep that other promise you must have given " 
 
 " Oh, don't! Spare me let me go!" she murmured. 
 
 " Kathe/' he went on, "whatever that promise was, you 
 must not keep it long. No, thank God, you shall not! for I 
 know that when I come and ask you the truth that is in your 
 heart, you will not hide it from me. Your true, sweet, wom- 
 anly nature will assert itself. Kathe, shall I tell you that I 
 saw you standing by the bridge that terrible afternoon you 
 could not see me but I saw you saw you lean your head 
 against the support at the side, and burst into a bitter fit of 
 weeping." 
 
 Kathe turned to go away; she could not bear him to speak 
 thus, but he caught her hand and held it fast as he went on: 
 
 " I saw you, Kathe, and I can not describe to you how I 
 longed to come over and take you in my arms and press yoa 
 to my heart. For months I had fought against my feelings- 
 for months I had crushed out of my heart, or rather struggled 
 to do so, the love I felt had crept into it, and for months I 
 had determined to be true and faithful even to the end to my 
 unloved betrothed. But when I saw you standing there I 
 did not knew you were back at the villa I determined to give 
 up struggling I could not help loviug you I made up my 
 mind that I could not marry my betrothed wife, with a raging 
 passion of fierce, warm, devoted love in my heart for another. 
 No no! why need I be such a fool? I saw you looking at my 
 house, but your eyes did not seek my aunt's room, Kathe; 
 you " he checked himself, but he covered her hand with hot, 
 burning kisses, and his frame heaved with the strength of his
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 881 
 
 feelings, while she, poor girl, leaned against a tree totally un- 
 able to utter a sound. 
 
 " I will not reproach Flora I will bear the odium and dis- 
 grace that I have brought on myself by breaking off our mar- 
 riage at the very last moment. I know now, have known ever 
 since the first week following upon our betrothal, that it was 
 the beauteous form and faultless face I worshiped, not the 
 woman herself, whom I had won for my bride. God help me, 
 Kathe, if I have done wrong, but my whole soul and heart 
 long for you. I told Flora that I loved you " 
 
 " Ah!" It was but a weak cry, the cry of one in pain. 
 He could not understand it, and would have drawn her into 
 his arms, but she resisted him. 
 
 Flora knew this, and yet could deceive her to the extent of 
 making her her dupe! She had bought his freedom from his 
 " betrothed wife," but at what a price! The ring was in her 
 pocket, and she knew that she must keep her word. 
 
 She raised her eyes to heaven and prayed that the bitter 
 temptation might not be too much for her that she might 
 have strength given her to desist from drinking the contents 
 of the cup of happiness now offered to her lips. But what if 
 his happiness were to be the penalty of her faithfulness to 
 Flora? 
 
 " You are very quiet, Kathe. Are you thinking that I 
 ought to hold my tongue at least for to-day? You do not an- 
 swer, you turn your head away. Kathe Kathe! I will say no 
 more. You know the desire of my heart, the wish of my life. 
 But yours is an honorable nature, Kathe, and you will not 
 satisfy me now, I know. Well ! I will go, I will not urge you 
 to decide; I will leave time to plead for me. I go away now 
 uncertain and unhappy, but I shall come back, Kathe don't 
 forget that I shall come back, and you will then tell me. 
 Yes, you shall tell me what my own heart prompts me to be- 
 lieve is true that you love me. Come, I will go with you aa 
 far as the Mill-house. Take my arm; a sister could not have 
 more confidence in her brother than you may have in me. 
 Come, and don't let me forget to tell you that my aunt and I 
 will take care of you, if you will trust yourself to us on your 
 journey homeward." 
 
 " I am not going back to Dresden/' she said, simply, ac- 
 cepting his proffered arm and turning in the direction of the 
 Mill-house. She scarcely recognized the sound of her own 
 voice, it was so weak and tuneless, and her whole frame trem- 
 bled so violently she thought at every step that she must fail 
 
 But she went on, after a siiort muse:
 
 IK THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " When I wau in Dresden this last time 1 felt very miserable 
 without anything to do but to attend to my music, and the fe\ 
 household duties which I insisted upon sharing with Madam6 
 Lucas. I felt then that I needed some earnest purpose foi 
 which to work, to which I could devote my energies and tune. 
 My life seemed to me so useless; I wanted to be up and doing. 
 And only a few days before dear Henriette telegraphed for me 
 to go to her, I had determined to speak to Moriz about it. I 
 knew the subject would be distasteful to him, and that I 
 should meet with no little opposition from one who considered 
 that I had quite * purpose ' enough in life if I devoted my 
 energies to making as much show as possible with my immense 
 fortune. Now that is all over the formidable iron safe has 
 been blown into the air, though I have a very strong suspicion 
 that the contents of the safe had disappeared some time ago. 
 Kanni tells me that I have nothing left; is it so, doctor?" 
 
 " I am afraid there is not much left of " 
 
 " But I have my mill and the house, and I mean to live 
 there. Perhaps you will be shocked and think I am going in 
 for strong-mindedness when I tell you that I have made up 
 my mind to manage the mill myself. Are you shocked?" 
 
 " No; not so much as I should be if any other girl of your 
 age had announced her intention of taking upon herself such 
 a responsibility. I very much admire independence and energy 
 in a woman, when properly directed; and I know you are not 
 thinking of doing the work you propose for the sake of power, 
 or of making yourself conspicuous among your neighbors. 
 Still I do not think the position will suit you. You were 
 meant to be the center of attraction in a home life, Kathe, 
 and not to sit at a desk and keep accounts. Don't commence 
 it don't try it even; for if you do some one will be sure to 
 come and run away with you just as you are putting the books 
 in order, and not stop to inquire who is to supply your place 
 at the desk." 
 
 Had a ray of light fallen across their path, dissipating the 
 darkness of the avenue for only one moment, during which the 
 doctor could have seen the expression on his companion's face, 
 he would there and then have taken her to his heart, and not 
 have let her go till she had promised to be his, and to marry 
 him as soon as possible. But the avenue was dark, and he 
 could not see her face to read there the effect of the silent 
 ttruggle going on in the young -girl's soul. He did not even 
 hear her sigh; and he attributed her reticence and sadness, the 
 lo*v tone of her voice, and the want of elasticity in her step, te
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 283 
 
 rief at parting in death with the sister she had learned to lort 
 so well. 
 
 She did not answer the yotmg doctor's last remark, and he 
 reproached himself for trying to laugh her out of an idea that 
 was evidently no light matter with her, under the sorrowful 
 circumstances in which she was placed. 
 
 Presently they left the shadow of the overhanging avenue 
 and reached the open meadow, where, on looking around, they 
 could easily distinguish one object from another in light of the 
 moon and stars. 
 
 " See, Kathe; look over there," whispered the young man, 
 breaking the longest pause which had yet fallen between 
 them, and pressing her hand against his side; " see, there are 
 the two poplars in front of my little cottage. You gathered 
 the first violets under their shade when you were a child, and 
 I promised you in the spring you should always do so if you 
 would. I mean to keep my word. I shall come and stay 
 there during the Easter holidays. " 
 
 . Kathe's heart throbbed too loud for her to trust her voice to 
 speak, for fear it might betray the state of her feelings. 
 
 How she longed to put her head against his shoulder and 
 tell him just once that, whether he went or came, she must 
 always love him! But she had bought his freedom with the 
 price of her own happiness; hence she must silently endure the 
 pain gnawing at her heart, and give no sign of how much she 
 cared for him. 
 
 So she did not reply to his remark about the violets, but 
 forced herself to ask: 
 
 " Will your aunt go with you to Leipsic?" 
 
 " Yes; she intends keeping house for me as long as I re- 
 main a bachelor. " 
 
 Kathe started; but he could not see her pale face, and he 
 fancied she had tripped against a stone. Holding her hand 
 still firmer on his arm, he went on: 
 
 " She will be making a great sacrifice in coming to live with 
 me, and I shall be truly thankful when she is able to return 
 to the fresh air of the country. I hope that the loving, brave 
 heart I mean, to win won't keep her too long in town," he 
 said, in a low, earnest tone, scarcely above a whisper. 
 
 The light from the mill windows was streaming now across 
 their path, and brought back to Kathe's recollection a con- 
 versation she had had with Susanne relative to Franz's widow 
 and children, when that person had called at the villa to look 
 lifter her young mistress in the morning. 
 
 The window of the room where the family sat of an evening
 
 264 IN THE OOT7NST:LOR y S HOUSlC 
 
 was dark, the door was closed, the yard deserted, and the onrj 
 sign of life about the place was the subdued growling of the 
 watch-dog, which sounded dismal and hollow as they drew 
 near. 
 
 The young man clasped Kathe's hand in his, as he stood at 
 the gate leading into the yard. 
 
 " I feel as if I were sending you into banishment," he said, 
 softly. " Spare me the .pain of knowing you are alone this 
 evening with the weight of this sorrow upon you, and come 
 with ine. My aunt will love and cherish you as if you were 
 her own child. Will you, Kathe?" There was deep passion 
 in his voice, but his face she could not see. 
 
 "No, no!" she cried out, piteously. "Let me go. Do 
 you think I shall pass the night in bitter useless weeping, that 
 you ask me to go home with you to your aunt's? I have no 
 time for that, even if I would. Let me go go. I must see 
 the widow to-night; she and her children have no one to com- 
 fort them but me. I had better go there at once/' and she 
 pointed to the darkened door. 
 
 " Kathe, dear beloved Kathe!" he said, pressing her hand 
 in both his against his breast. " Must I let you go? It is very 
 hard, but I must if you wish it. I dare not check you in your 
 work of contforting the widow. So go, but take care of your- 
 self. Keep the bandage on your head for a day or two longes 
 And now good-bye till Easter. When the winter snows are 
 gone, when the earth wakes up from her cold lethargy and all 
 nature rejoices in the coming warmth and summer, then, then 
 I shall come back. Till then don't forget me, and thinL 
 sometimes of me. How I shall long to see you, Kathe; and 
 do not let slander or an evil tongue make you doubt me!" 
 
 " No, never!" The words were uttered with a sob, and she 
 put both her hands into his. He heard the sob, and although 
 he did not fully understand its meaning and chiefly attributed 
 it to sorrow for Henriette's death, he suddenly let her hands 
 fall, and clasping his arms around her trembling form, drew 
 her close to his breast and kissed her lips and cheeks and eyes 
 with passionate fervor, and the next moment he was gone, 
 leaving her with beating heart, throbbing pulse, and tearless 
 eyes to carry out her intention of visiting the widow and her 
 children in their hour of bereavement. 
 
 Three days later, Dr. Bruck and his aunt left town to take 
 up their residence in Leipsic. Kathe had not seen him again 
 since the night he left her so abruptly at the Mill-house door, 
 but " auntie " had called upon her once, and stayed with her 
 ft whole evening.
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 285 
 
 The day following Henriette's funeral, Mme. TTrach and 
 Flora also left town, the former to pass a month at one of the 
 baths to recruit her " shattered nerves/' the latter to " study 
 medicine " so it was reported among her acquaintances in 
 one of the large towns of Switzerland. 
 
 CHAPTEE XL 
 
 MORE than a year had elapsed since the cold March morn- 
 ing when Kathe Mangold, accompanied by Dr. Bruck, walked 
 through the linden avenue on her way to her guardian's house, 
 the sole heiress of her grandfather's immense fortune. 
 
 Whoever walked along that avenue now and cared to turn 
 to his right as he passed onward toward the house, would see a 
 row of pretty cottages in the distance, at the bend of the high- 
 road from the town. These cottages were inhabited by the 
 men at the spinning factory, with their wives and children. 
 The ground on which they stood was the waste corner bit of 
 land belonging to the mill garden, which Kathe had once 
 earnestly entreated her guardian to allow her to place at the 
 disposal of the men, who had clamored to have their dwellings 
 built nearer the scene of their daily work at the spinning fac- 
 tory, when Mme. Urach and Flora had refused them the privi- 
 lege of building on the outer side of the park. 
 
 The towns-folk were delighted at the erection of this row of 
 houses. Formerly, at this special bend of the road stones and 
 rubbish of various kinds had accumulated, making the 
 thoroughfare look untidy, and spoiling the effect of the large, 
 well-kept garden behind. But now the pathway was in excel- 
 lent order, the cottages were clean and trim, flowers orna- 
 mented the windows, and the small gardens in front of each 
 tenement were neatly railed round with green staves, against 
 "vhicb. various creeping plants were encouraged to grow. Hence 
 clie cottages were a great improvement to that special portion 
 of the old estate, and were regarded with an immense amount 
 of pride by their owners and their owners' benefactress, Kathe 
 Mangold, the proprietor of the mill. 
 
 Kathe Mangold had carried out her wish, and installed her- 
 self mistress of the mill. She started her new plan by engag- 
 ing a thorough man of business as head foreman of the works, 
 and putting herself under his guidance to learn the details of 
 the business. By dint of strong perseverance, constant atten- 
 tion to every detail, and determination to accomplish her self- 
 imposed task, added to her quick perception and natural apti- 
 tude for orderly habits, she soon succeeded in mastering the
 
 286 LN~ THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 difficulties of her peculiar position, and gained sufficient in- 
 sight into the workings of the concern to insure respect and 
 confidence from those about her, and to increase the impor- 
 tance of the mill itself in the eyes of those merchants from 
 whom the grain was purchased. Day after day she was to be 
 found at her desk, overlooking accounts, dictating business let- 
 ters,, and superintending the general management of everything 
 that belonged to the welfare of her subordinates and their 
 work. 
 
 One of the first acts of her newly assumed authority was to 
 install Franz's widow in a couple of rooms at the side of the 
 mill, insure a small pension for her use during life, or until 
 she married again, and to employ her as an assistant to Susanne 
 in the cooking, besides giving her the management of such 
 portion of the tiny dairy as was required for the daily con- 
 sumption of the mistress's small household. 
 
 Shortly after the counselor's death, when her guardian's 
 affairs had been examined into, and the full result of his 
 speculations made known to his creditors, it was found out 
 that Kathe's surmise as to the loss of her own fortune was 
 perfectly correct. Not a penny remained to her of all the 
 thousands left her by the miller, but the mill and house and 
 ground on which they stood, and an odd hundred or two that 
 had been placed to her credit in a Dresden bank some months 
 previous to the catastrophe. She did not murmur, but ac- 
 cepted her fate, glad even that she had it in her power to 
 work and to help others. 
 
 Thus the winter passed without any outward change coming 
 to the young girl in the daily routine of her lonely, hard-work- 
 ing life. Now and again she would slip away from her desk 
 and wander in the sunshine of a brighter day than usual across 
 the park and down to the river-side. She would stand and 
 tfatch the old-fashioned house with the golden weather-cock, 
 look at its closed windows and cheerless aspect, and wonder if 
 the time would ever come when she should be called upon to 
 give up the ring in her possession to its future mistress, and 
 see a bright, happy face flitting in and out through the open 
 doors. 
 
 That Dr. Bruck had loved her she did not doubt for a second 
 now, but she would not, dared not, think that he would come 
 back to her, as his passionate words had implied the night on 
 which he had parted from her. 
 
 She had often heard from his aunt during the six months 
 which had elapsed since then; but not a line had reached her 
 from the doctor himself. He had faithfully kept bis word w
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 287 
 
 far, not to disturb her till the following Easter; and but foi 
 the increasing celebrity of his name, which caused him to be 
 constantly mentioned in the weekly papers, and a remark 
 from time to time about her nephew iu his aunt't letters, 
 Kathe would have heard nothing at all about him, and certain- 
 ly not have known if he still had any regard for her. 
 
 While the days and weeks were growing into months, and 
 Kathe bravely carried out the task she had set herself to do- 
 she had no idea that her actions were keenly watched with 
 warm interest by several people in town. But it was never- 
 theless true; and many who had regarded her coldly in the 
 days when she was reputed an heiress, had lately tried to win 
 the young mistress of the mill from her solitary life, and to 
 induce her to join their home circles when her daily work was 
 at an end. 
 
 Among the few who, to Kathe's extreme astonishment, 
 formally called upon her to renew their old acquaintance, and 
 to demand her friendship, if she would kindly extend it to 
 them, was the grandmother of her half-sisters, Mme. Urach. 
 
 The old lady had returned to town toward the close of win- 
 ter, and engaged a couple of rooms in a narrow street, where 
 she lived secluded on her very narrow means, away from the 
 world and society, and where her existence was scarcely remem- 
 bered by half a dozen of the host of people whom she had so 
 often entertained in princely style at the villa. She had not 
 been in her new apartments many days before she heard of 
 Kathe's doings at the mill, and of the success which was at- 
 tending her efforts to make a comfortable income out of the 
 proceeds of her well-ground sacks of flour. So she forthwith 
 put on her bonnet, hired a fly, and drove out to the Mill- 
 house to "do her duty to that young girl, her dear son-in- 
 law's youngest child, and look after her a little. " 
 
 Kathe received her kindly, placed her in the old-fashioned 
 easy-chair by the stove, and ordered fragrant coffee and sweet 
 cakes to be brought to her guest. When the old lady was 
 rested and refreshed after her drive, she took her over the 
 work-room^ and showed her the different machines employed 
 in the sifting and grinding of the grain. And finally when 
 they returned to the house, Kathe slipped out of the room, 
 packed a basker full of eggs and fresh butter, and a home- 
 cured ham, and had it carried to the fly. Whe^ her guest was 
 going, she begged the old lady so warmly to coii^ and see her 
 whenever she felt dull at home, that Mme. Urach's eyes filled 
 with tears, for perhaps the first time in her life, and she could 
 not find a word to sav to eyoress her thanks for this uuei-
 
 288 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 pected kindness on the part of the girl whose stay with hei 
 she had formerly made so miserable. 
 
 Easter arrived at last, and with it several workmen, to put 
 in order the old-fashioned house by the river-side*. 
 
 Kathe had not been out for several days, but on Easter-eve 
 :he walked as usual down by the river, while the workmen 
 were getting their dinner. What was her surprise, on nearin^ 
 the house, to observe that fresh, clean blinds were hanging at 
 every window, that the garden had been i( done up," and that 
 the general appearance of the place betokened a return of its 
 inmates, if not their return, at least the expectation of their 
 arrival. While she wandered dreamily around the attractive 
 spot, she met one of the late servants at the villa, who in- 
 formed her that the old house had been partly refurnished for 
 the reception of a lady guest who was to accompany Frau 
 Diakonus from Leipsic, and that both ladies were expected to 
 arrive by the afternoon train, and intended staying some time 
 at the house. Then the maid rattled on about the beauty of 
 this unknown guest, and how that special orders had come 
 from the doctor to have everything in readiness by Good Fri- 
 day, and that there was " such a fuss " being made over this 
 young lady, who was to have the best room, etc., " and a new 
 carpet to cover the floor." 
 
 Kathe turned away as quickly as she could; she did not care 
 to listen to the gossip, for her heart ached and her temples 
 throbbed, and she felt more inclined to burst into tears than 
 to join in expressing pleasure at all this news. 
 
 ** Who can she be?" thought Kathe to herself, as she slowly 
 retraced her steps to the mill; "some one very dear to aunt 
 and nephew^ or the dear old lady, who dislikes visitors in her 
 house, would not bring her down here with her on a lengthy 
 visit!" and the girl sighed deeply. 
 
 When Kathe reached home her heart was very heavy; she 
 would have given anything to be alone and quiet, but that was 
 quite out of the question for several hours to come. Her work 
 had to be done, several letters to be written, and an important 
 matter of business to be discussed with her foreman, before she 
 felt herself at liberty to indulge in the luxury of her own 
 thoughts. 
 
 Then as the afternoon waned and she went into the dining-- 
 room to get a cup of tea to ease the pain and throb in her head 
 which had prevented her doing any work, she met Mme. 
 Urach's maid, with a letter for her to read and return. 
 
 Sending the maid into the kitchen to refresh herself with 
 cup of coffee after her wui*. and ordering Susanne to fill thi
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S norsE. 288 
 
 etnrr:ed empty basket with fresh cake and eggs, the young girj 
 wearily sat down to peruse the letter. It was from Flora, and 
 addressed to her grandmother. 
 
 Once or twice before Mme. Urach had sent Kathe a letter to 
 read from her half-sister, and by this means she had learned 
 hat Flora had given up the study of medicine and was roam- 
 ing about from one place to another in search of a society 
 which would acknowledge her talents and appreciate her nat- 
 ural gifts. 
 
 But to-day Kathe was in no hurry to open the envelope lying 
 on her lap; her thoughts were all in a whirl, and the paper 
 seemed to burn her fingers. She rose, threw the letter on the 
 table, and going over to the piano tried to play a soft, low 
 melody. But it was of no use; she could do nothing to-day. 
 She opened the window and let the cool wind pass over her hot 
 forehead, then with trembling fingers and burning cheeks she 
 snatched up the letter, opened the envelope, and began to 
 read. It was dated from Berlin, and ran: 
 
 , " I dare say you will laugh triumphantly, my dear grand- 
 mamma, when I tell you that I have done what I think for the 
 best, and engaged myself to Karl von Stetten, whom you once 
 were so anxious for me to marry. He is uglier and more vul- 
 gar than ever, and ornaments his full-moon face with a pair of 
 blue spectacles. Fi done ! I shall always be ashamed of walk- 
 ing by his side, but he has cared for me a long time, and by 
 the death of his cousin has come into the family property, 
 tnd is now the head of his house. So I don't think I hav6 
 done so badly in " 
 
 The letter fell from Kathe's hand. 
 
 " Leo Bruck is free free at last! He may come and see 
 me now," she cried, in a tone that was scarcely above a mur 
 mur, it was so low in its eager joyousness. Can it be true 
 chat I dare think of him now?" she went on to herself. . 
 " These past seven long months have been terribly hard tc 
 bear. I thought I had crushed out of life every loving longing 
 for him, and yet yet " She clasped her hands together and 
 turned pale as the thought crossed her: " Supposing after all 
 she is only duping us that this is another of the cruel tor- 
 menting ways to ' 
 
 She picked up the letter and read the words again and again. 
 Yes, it must be true; he has rank, wealth, all Flora cares 
 about, she said to herself; and then she went on to read how 
 the wedding-day was fixed for Whit-Monday, and that hot 
 
 trousseau was finished, andJJiat siie hoped " dear grandmam- 
 10
 
 390 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 ma " would come and ae present at the ceremony. Then 
 Kathe's cheek paled and her knees trembled beneath her as 
 she read further: 
 
 " I stayed a few days in Leipsic on my road here. Perhaps 
 it will interest you to hear that the celebrated and far-famed 
 Hofrath, Professor Bruck, has not only succeeded in making 
 himself a favorite physician in the courtly circle, but has won 
 the heart of a beautiful lady of rank. I am told that he is 
 privately betrothed to the noble patient, who gave him her 
 heart in return for his skillful performance of an operation 
 which saved her life. Her parents are delighted at the match, 
 and ' auntie ' is charmed with her nephew's good fortune. I 
 saw them altogether at the theater a few nights ago, and if I 
 mistake not, ami tie wore thread gloves! The girl is very 
 beautiful but hers is a wax-doll sort of beauty and he? 
 Well, I don't mind telling you, grandmamma, that I bit my 
 lips with vexation to see him standing so calm and dignified 
 behind his lady-love's chair, as if he had a right to all the 
 good fortune which has fallen to his lot, and as if he had 
 never, by so much as a hair Vbreadth, swerved from the path 
 of honor he the scoundrel! Give Kathe the inclosed " 
 
 Ah! yes, she had not noticed the small folded bit of paper 
 which had slipped out of the letter and lay on the rug at her 
 feet. Picking it up she saw the words: " To Kathe Man- 
 gold.- 
 
 For a moment her head swam, and her fingers trembled so 
 violently she could not open the paper. Recovering herself 
 with an effort, she read: 
 
 44 Have the kindness to hand over to Countess Witte at once 
 the ring I intrusted to your care, or you can fling it into the 
 water with the other one if you like. FLOKA." 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 KATHE suddenly became very still; she mechanically folded 
 the in closure and the letter together and replaced them in the 
 envelope. Could the Countess Witte be the guest expected at 
 the house by the river? She shook her head as the thought 
 crossed her brain. Her eyes brightened and her cheeks 
 flushed when his words came back to her memory. 
 
 " I shall return at Easter/' he had said, and the young girl 
 knew that he would keep his word, and that he would come. 
 He would not break a promise given to the miller's grand*
 
 nr THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 291 
 
 daughter for the highest-born lady in the land. Besides, had 
 he not said that he loved Jier Kathe? She blushed as she re- 
 called the loving, passionate manner in which he had clasped 
 her to his heart. Doubt him? No, never never. 
 
 She sprung from her seat and went over to the window, her 
 eyes wandering with a happy, trusting expression to the spot 
 where the old house stood. How her face flushed with ex- 
 citement as she caught sight of the flag drooping over the roof 
 by the side of the golden weather-cock! 
 
 The widow with her guest must have arrived! Should she 
 run down to welcome her back, throw her arms round her 
 neck and whisper her delight at having her very dearest friend 
 cear her again? 
 
 She must calm herself first her glowing cheeks and beat- 
 ing heart would betray her to the keen, searching eyes of the 
 dear old " auntie." Yes, she would grow calm first. 
 
 For a moment she watched the dog in the yard barking at 
 a beggar to whom Susanne had just thrown a handful of bread, 
 and then she glanced round the large, comfortable apartment 
 which she had converted into a sort of dining-room and library, 
 the room in which she wrote her business letters, where she 
 Allowed no one to enter uninvited, and where she loved to sit 
 and think or read when her work was done, and might enjoy 
 a leisure hour if she felt so inclined. 
 
 She quietly went over to her desk, sat down, and taking uf 
 a pen began to write. 
 
 "Messrs. Schilling & Co., Hamburg." 
 
 How her hand shook! No one would possibly be able to read 
 such a trembling scrawl. She threw down her pen and leaned 
 her hot, aching head on her hands. 
 
 Presently a cool puff of wind blew across her burning cheek. 
 She looked up to see where it came from and saw him, the 
 one being in all the world whom she most longed to see. 
 
 " Leo! I knew you would come!" she cried, with a joyous 
 ring in her voice that told the joy of her heart, and the next 
 moment she was clasped in his arms. 
 
 " My darling!" was all he said at first. He kissed her again 
 and again, on ears, and cheek, and hair till she turned her 
 face from his breast and timidly raised her sweet lips to his, 
 and in that first passionate, clinging kiss her fate was sealed 
 forever. 
 
 " Well, I never!*' cried Susanne at the door, astonished to 
 find her young mistress half hidden in Dr. Bruck's embrace; 
 but a glance at his happy face reassured her, and she en-
 
 292 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 deavoreti to close the door without being heard. But she waa 
 too late. Kathe had seen her, and withdrew from her lover's 
 encircling arm, blushing painfully. 
 
 The doctor laughed, and holding her hand, said: 
 
 " No, no, Kathe, I won't let you go yet. I am afraid you 
 will repent that rash movement of yours when I entered the 
 room, and return to the old reserve. I have you now, and I 
 mean to keep you. Come here, Susanne," he said to the old 
 servant, whom he had seen enter; "come here and shake 
 hands with me; your mistress has promised to be my wife." 
 
 " Good gracious, sir! Well now, really I am glad! and 1 
 knew nothing at all about it, but I am glad, and and I hope 
 you'll get married quick and be that happy " 
 
 Wiping a tear from her eye with her apron, she bustled out 
 of the room as fast as she could, to publish the good news to 
 every one she met. 
 
 " Now, Kathe," said the young man, " Easter has arrived 
 and your work here is over. How I have longed for this day, 
 words fail me to express. Darling, my darling, I thought the 
 time would never pass! It was so very hard to go without a 
 oingle line or word from you. You wrote to my aunt, and 
 those letters were my only comfort, though you rarely, if ever, 
 mentioned my name; and then I knew that it would be best 
 to allow a short while to elapse before I addressed you in any 
 form, for your own sake. But tell me why you did not send 
 me even one message? You promised to be my sister; surely 
 surely " 
 
 He suddenly stopped, and his forehead grew a dark red and 
 his brows contracted as his eyes fell on the well-known writing 
 of the letter lying on the table. 
 
 Kathe drew her hand from his clasp and laid it over the 
 paper. Why need he know now of the cruel torture she had 
 suffered through Flora's heartlessuess? There was no impedi- 
 ment in the way to her happiness now, why then tell him any- 
 thing about the past? But he firmly lifted her hand from the 
 table, and with a glance at her troubled face, said firmly: 
 
 " Kathe, I will not have any secret between us. Thank 
 God, mystery and reserve shall be at an end where you and I 
 are concerned. There is some secxf-t in that paper; let me 
 see it." 
 
 He read the letter, laid it on the table, and putting his arras 
 round the girl, he pressed her close to his heart, and said : 
 
 " Now I understand the meaning of your words that day 
 now I know how you sacrificed yourself for me. Darling, can 
 I ever repay you the pain and misery I so unconsciously mado
 
 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUS& 291 
 
 you suffer? Kathe, yen love me? I have seen it in youi eyea 
 heard it in your voice, but tell me you love me with your 
 lips. Do you, Kathe?" 
 
 She nestled closer to him and said, softly: 
 
 " I think I love you too much, Leo." Then, half laughing 
 and half inclined to cry, she added: " But what about the 
 beautiful Countess Witte? Is she not going to stay with auntie 
 and occupy the newly furnished room.-'" 
 
 "No," he answered, laughing; "I did not wish you to 
 know from the people about that I was coming, but that room 
 is for me just for the present. As to the pretty little count- 
 ess, she is so grateful for my having successfully operated on a 
 troublesome tumor on her head, that she is a shade too de- 
 monstrative in her delight, and speaks of me in terms that 
 perhaps have led people to imagine she and I care for each 
 other. She is a dear little woman, and is devoted to a young 
 sailor who is coming home this summer. You will soon learn 
 to know her, for I mean to take my wife back with me after 
 the holidays. " 
 
 V Leo!" 
 
 " Well, my love? Our engagement has lasted seven long 
 months surely that has given you time to consider, and if not 
 humph! you must think about it afterward," he added, 
 laughing and encircling her face with his two hands. " Come 
 here and tell me if you would like to stand by my side at the 
 altar, there." He pointed to a church spire rising beyond the 
 trees. " I love that little village, and the minister is a great 
 friend of mine. " 
 
 " Do with me as you will, Leo," she replied, softly, with 
 such loving tenderness in her tone. " But my duties here " 
 
 " You shall not cast up another line; your foreman, or 
 Hither the manager, must look after your interests for you 
 till" 
 
 ' ' Just as you like. When I return I will formally intrust 
 him with the management of the mill; he is a true, honest 
 man." 
 
 " Have you heard that Moriz has been seen in America?" 
 asked Dr. firuck, later on in the evening, when he and Kathe 
 were walking under the trees on the avenue, and the lights 
 from the windows of the \illa told them that the new family 
 living there were at home. 
 
 " Yes, besides I have known all along that he was alive." 
 And she related how she had seen the workman in his blouse 
 driving the deer across the meadows to the high-road about a 
 quarter of an hour before she was struck down when the ex-
 
 24 IN THE COUNSELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 plosion took place, and added: " A few days ago Franz's widow 
 received an anonymous letter inclosing fifty pounds from Cali- 
 fornia. She wonders who her unknown benefactor is, but I 
 knew immediately from whom the money came." 
 
 A few steps further brought the young couple in front of 
 the old house by the river-side, and a minute later the noble 
 old lady, Frau Diakonus, had clasped her loving arms around 
 her " dearest little daughter/' and whispered: 
 
 " I would rather you married my Leo than any other girl iu 
 the world. How he loves you, Kathe. " 
 
 "And how I love him!" replied Kathe, softly, and Kissed 
 her old friend's cheek. 
 
 Before closing the hall door and going in for the evening 
 meal, Dr. Bruck called Kathe to his side. Putting his arm 
 round her, he said, earnestly: 
 
 " Listen, Kathe, to the bells! They are ringing in Easter 
 Sunday and you and I are together at last." 
 
 TBS END-
 
 129315 8