with one of
my bad headaches; when I come to Berlin, I want to bring with me clear
eyes--and my husband."

The worthy old friend, who after all had not been very earnest in his
proposal, could urge her no further, and after uttering all sorts of
fine phrases, took leave of the young wife with unfeigned affection.
She declined the invitation to dinner which he pressed upon her in
Reginchen's name. Her stupid head was not fit for company. She was most
comfortable alone, where no one could notice if her thoughts sometimes
grew confused.

The shoemaker was scarcely in the street again, when in spite of his
sincere regard for Leah, he banished from his mind all the sympathy he
had felt for her suffering, and with the facility peculiar to many
theoretical philanthropists, turned his thoughts to his own plans. He
therefore looked up in some little bewilderment, when a slender lady
accosted him in a musical, but somewhat low voice, and inquired the way
to the Frau Doctorin's residence. The stranger was closely veiled,
but the old man's practised eye did not permit him to doubt for a
moment, that the person who stood before him was young, charming, and
high-bred. He also noticed a faint perfume of violets, which floated
from the lady's lace veil. He very politely offered to accompany and
show her the few steps to Edwin's house, in doing which he remarked
that the Herr Doctor had just gone away on a little pedestrian tour,
but that his wife was at home. "I know it," said the lady. "I only wish
to see his wife. Shall I probably find her alone?"

The shoe-maker answered in the affirmative and racked his cunning
brains for means to find out something more about the veiled lady who,
as he was instantly convinced, could not be a resident of the place.
But unfortunately they had already reached the house, the stranger
thanked him with a slight bend of the head, opened the door without
ceremony, and disappeared in the dark hall.

Never had the old man been more bent upon the solution of a riddle or
charade, over which he regularly pondered in the papers, than on
discovering the cause of this visit. This was the only woman who wore a
veil, that he had met in the little town. That she could be acquainted
with Leah, while his daughter knew nothing about her, seemed to him
incredible, so he determined to question Reginchen.

But this proved utterly useless. No lady answering to his description
was known, even in the highest circles o