as close to
Lenz once, he said to him--"I have not brought you any wedding gift; I
could not bear to give you little, and much I have not to give; but I
would gladly give you my life if you required it."

Lenz enjoined on his worthy friend to take care of himself, and said he
had now done enough for others. Just in good time he remembered that he
had intended to invite old Proebler. Faller offered to go and fetch him.
Old Proebler came, but he would not be persuaded to go into the public
room, as he had no Sunday suit; so Lenz gave him a dish heaped up with
meat, enough to last three days at least, and a good bottle of wine
into the bargain. The old man was so surprised, that he almost forgot
to offer his usual pinch of snuff; and all he said was, "I will bring
back the bottle." Lenz said he might keep it, which pleased old Proebler
immensely, and he quickly took himself off.

When Lenz and Annele were on their way home, morning was almost
breaking; and though the moon was up, it was again covered with heavy
clouds. On this occasion they were without either escort or torches.
Annele complained that it was frightfully dark, and that she was so
weary she could scarcely stand. "I ought to have stayed at home
to-night," said she.

"Home?--how do you mean? Your home is up on the hill there."

Annele was silent, and the two walked on together quietly for a time.

"Did you count the money we got today?" said Annele at last.

"No--I can do that at home. I know there must be a good deal, for it is
such a weight. It was lucky that your father lent me one of his empty
purses."

"What do you mean by empty purses? He has plenty full enough," said
Annele quickly.

"I neither inquired about that, nor even once thought about it."

She now pressed forward up the hill, so that Lenz might get home to
count the money. When they arrived he did so, but too slowly according
to her ideas, and she soon showed him that a landlord's daughter knew
better how to set about it. While she was counting, Lenz said:--"I take
a different view of the case. It is just as well that we should have
accepted presents from these poor people: it does them credit in the
eyes of others, and enables them, one and all, to accept assistance
from us in any difficulty without hesitation." Annele looked up at him
in the midst of her reckoning.

Lenz had always his own peculiar reasons for everything. He never
agreed to anything simply because it appeared to b