"

"Why should I have done that?" he answered. "The wind blew it off my
head."

He told in few words his chance visit to Katharine. Annele was silent.
She kept her charge of falsehood ready to launch at him when occasion
offered. She could bide her time.

Lenz sent the maid into the kitchen, and, holding the boy in his lap,
gave a full account of his day's experiences, all but of those thoughts
of infidelity which had risen in his heart.

"Do you know the only one point of consequence in the whole story?"

"What?"

"The hundred florins and three crown-pieces that Franzl offered you.
The rest is nothing."

"Why nothing?"

"Because your uncle will not help you. Do you see now the mistake you
made in letting him off five years ago?"

"And the factory?"

"Who is to be admitted besides yourself?"

"I know of no one yet but Proebler, whose ingenious inventions have
certainly earned him a place."

"Ha, ha! that is too good; you and Proebler! You are capital
yokefellows. Did I not always tell you you would come down to his
level? But you are more pitiful than he, for he at least has not
dragged down a wife and children. Out of my sight, you poor, miserable
milksop! Let yourself be yoked to the same team with Proebler!" She
snatched the child from its father's knee and, turning the torrent of
her words upon the terrified boy, continued, passionately: "Your father
is a pitiful milksop, who needs to have the bottle always held to his
lips. Pity his mother is not alive to make his pap for him! Oh, how low
have I fallen! But one thing I insist upon, you shall not enter the
factory; I will drown myself and my children first. When I am dead you
can go and ask the doctor's crooked daughter to leave her weeds and
marry you."

Lenz sat motionless, chilled with horror.

"Mention not my mother's name," he cried at last. "Leave her to her
eternal rest."

"I have no objection to leaving her. I neither want nor have anything
of hers."

"What? Have you no longer that sprig of edelweiss? Tell me, have you
not kept it?"

"Stuff and nonsense! of course I have kept it."

"Where? Give it to me!"

Annele opened a drawer and showed it.

"Thank God! you have it still; it will still bring us its blessing."

"The man has actually lost his senses with his superstition. The idea
of pinning his faith to a wretched bit of dried grass instead of trying
to help himself! Just like these beggars to go tearing about the world
distr