romise me one
thing; promise me to break off all connection with Pilgrim, at least
for three months."

"I can promise you nothing now," he answered, a bitter drop poisoning
his cup of joy.

Annele was beside herself at hearing the music from the valley. So
great was her excitement that her mother and husband trembled for her
life. Towards noon, however, she fell into a quiet sleep. Lenz stopped
up all the doors and windows, that every sound should be kept out. From
this sleep she awoke more tranquil, and showed such patience and
sweetness that Lenz was filled with twofold thankfulness for the
happiness vouchsafed him as husband and father. It was wonderful how
Annele's moods changed. In her present interval of tenderness she
reminded her husband of their promise to Pilgrim that he should stand
godfather, and expressed pleasure at the idea. Lenz was desirous that
Petrovitsch should be second godfather; but the old man resolutely
declined.

Pilgrim brought with him, and laid in the baby's cradle, a huge paper,
containing a great number of signatures and illuminated by himself. It
was a diploma of the Liederkranz, he said, making the new-comer, in
virtue of his unquestionably good voice, an honorary member of that
society.

"Do you know the sweetest tone in all the world?" asked Lenz,--"the
first cry of one's child. Here is something else for you, my son. Take
hold; see how he grasps it!" He put into the baby's little hand his
father's file, as if for a special consecration; but Annele snatched it
away.

"The child might kill itself with that sharp edge," she cried, and
threw the instrument with such violence to the ground as to break off
the point.

"There is my precious heirloom broken," said Lenz, sadly.

Pilgrim tried to console him, and declared, laughing, that there must
ever be new men and new tools in the world. Annele said not a word.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE PENDULUMS SWING EACH IN ITS OWN DIRECTION,
AND THE CORD IS STRAINED ALMOST TO BREAKING.

"Come here a minute, Annele, I have something to show you."

"I have no time."

"Just look; it will amuse you. See, I have set two pendulums on these
two clocks swinging different ways; one from right to left, the other
from left to right. In a few days they will both swing together,
either from right to left or the other way. The force of attraction
that they exercise upon each other gradually br