to her
master's stern questioning she said that the patient needed her, but she
had never told a lie, and her pride forbade her even now to speak an
untruth. The other slaves stared with astonishment, as she replied, "I
wanted to get out; the supper is so long."

Petrus glanced at the window, and perceiving how high the moon stood, he
shook his head as if in wonder at his own conduct, then without blaming
her he offered a thanksgiving, gave the slaves the signal to leave the
room, and after receiving a kiss of "good-night" from each of his
children--from among whom Polykarp, the sculptor, alone was missing--he
withdrew to his own room. But he did not remain alone there for long: so
soon as Dorothea had discussed the requirements of the house for the next
day with Marthana and the steward, and had been through the sleeping-room
of her younger children, casting a loving glance on the peaceful
sleepers, arranging here a coverlet, and there a pillow--she entered her
husband's room and called his name.

Petrus stood still and looked round, and his grave eyes were full of
grateful tenderness as they met those of his wife. Dorothea knew the soft
and loving heart within the stern exterior, and nodded to him with
sympathetic understanding: but before she could speak, he said, "Come in,
come nearer to me; there is a heavy matter in hand, and you cannot escape
your share of the burden."

"Give me my share!" cried she eagerly. "The slim girl of former years has
grown a broad-shouldered old woman, so that it may be easier to her to
help her lord to bear the many burdens of life. But I am seriously
anxious--even before we went to church something unsatisfactory had
happened to you, and not merely in the council-meeting. There must be
something not right with one of the children."

"What eyes you have!" exclaimed Petrus.

"Dim, grey eyes," said Dorothea, "and not even particularly keen. But
when anything concerns you and the children I could see it in the dark.
You are dissatisfied with Polykarp; yesterday, before he set out for
Raithu, you looked at him so--so--what shall I say? I can quite imagine
what it is all about, but I believe you are giving yourself groundless
anxiety. He is young, and so lovely a woman as Sirona--"

Up to this point Petrus had listened to his wife in silence. Now he
clasped his hands, and interrupted her, "Things certainly are not going
on quite right--but I ought to be used to it. What I meant to hav