nd daily society," she continued,
looking towards the dining-room. "They have now reached the topmost
point of their enjoyment--the General asleep with a cigar in his mouth,
and the Captain absorbing his quantum of cognac. Afterwards he will
fill his German pipe, totter off to the billiard-room, and smoke and
sleep till tea-time. Come, now, as we have a full hour before us,
confess yourself. Why have you not studied for a barrister?" And
she fixed her large eyes on me as if she suspected that I had been
rusticated.

"Simply because my good father died too soon."

"A good father always dies too soon. Even a bad one who neglects his
child is a great loss. Yours left nothing?"

"Except a widow with a very small pension--too small to maintain
me at Leyden, and therefore I left after one year's residence, as
I wished to earn my own living and obtain comforts for my mother,
who was in very weak health."

"I admire you for that, Leo; a man who is not selfish, and can make
sacrifices for his mother or his wife's sake, is a rarity. It does
me good to hear such men still exist."

"Now, Francis, give me your confidence. Perhaps I can assist you in
your troubles."

"Don't attempt the impossible, Leopold," she replied in a tone of
profound sadness. "However, as I believe you to be loyal and generous,
I will be explicit with you; and if I am deceived in you, as I have
often been in others, one deception more or less cannot make much
difference in the grand total. When my grandfather had obtained his
pension we came to the Werve, as it was urgently necessary for us
to economize. His rank as commandant in a small fortified town had
necessitated our living in grand style. He had to invite the mayor and
other dignitaries to his table, as well as his own lieutenants; and let
me acknowledge we had both got into the habit of living in abundance
and of being very hospitable; consequently we had nearly always an
open table. Owing to many events and painful family circumstances,
our fortune with the last few years has shrunk so visibly that it was
impossible to continue our old style of living. And grandpapa at last
saw things as I did. We retired to the Werve; we did not want company,
and we severed ourselves from all parasites at one stroke.

"I counted on the kitchen garden, the orchard, and the home farm
(which in those days still belonged to the Werve) providing for all
our wants; and I cherished a secret hope of saving money, so