turn to enjoy myself here; and wherever I go, I am my own
master, and the world must serve me; and there are no girls in these
days worth a farthing: those who are simple and good bore a man to
death--those who are shrewd and clever, require constant amusement and
excitement--all day long, at every meal, they must have some fresh
diversion. And then you hear them say, day after day--'Goodness! how
tiresome it is to manage a house--you men know nothing of such toil.'
And then, in addition to all this, comes the plague of screaming
babies, and relations, and school fees, and taxes."

"If the whole world thought like you, uncle, the human race would come
to an end in a hundred years," said Lenz.

"Pooh! they would never die out," said old Petrowitsch, laughing, and
filling his pipe with tobacco, pressing it down with a china stopper of
antique shape. "Look, there goes Annele!" Lenz involuntarily started,
he scarcely knew why; but his uncle continued, coolly--"No doubt, she
is a vastly knowing little thing, always on the alert, and I call her
my court jester. The kings of old were wise, for they kept jesters,
whose office it was to make them laugh during meals. That is very
healthy, and assists digestion. Annele is my court fool, and never
fails to make me laugh."

When Lenz looked round. Pilgrim was gone. He seemed, indeed, resolved
that his friend should disown him before Petrowitsch. Lenz, however,
made a point of saying to his uncle, that he was a true friend of
Pilgrim's, and intended always to be so.

The uncle said he was right, and commended his nephew; and Lenz was
quite surprised when Petrowitsch even began to praise Pilgrim; adding,
that he was something like himself, in some points, for he also
disliked matrimony, and had a poor opinion of the female sex.

Bueble now became very fidgety, and began to whine.

"Silence!" said Petrowitsch, angrily. "Have patience--we are going home
immediately to take a nap. Down, down, Bueble! Are you coming with me,
Lenz?"

Lenz accompanied his uncle to his house--a large handsome building, in
which no one lived but himself. The door opened of itself as if by
magic, for the maid was obliged to be on the watch, and to open the
door before her master had time to knock.

Lenz said--"Good bye!" to his uncle, who thanked him, yawning.

The young man was glad when he was again seated at his work the same
afternoon. The house, which had seemed so desolate that he thought he
c