ion and companionship except
under a _quasi_ truce or other provisional conditions. To form a
perfect union with it, other races had to adopt its attitude. It
could not and would not adopt theirs until some sort of a Teuton
reformation took place.

In the midst of these repulsing discords Gard was surprised, on
returning to his room a night or two later, to find by his table a
new red and gold copy of Heine's verse inclosing a sprig of
forget-me-not. On the fly leaf was inscribed in a youthful, copybook
hand:

Immer heller brennt die Licht,
Meines schoen' Vergissmeinnicht.

Offered to her meadow pupil
By his meadow teacher.

(Ever brighter burns the light
Of my sweet forget-me-not.)

The Germans are not original in love-making. Elsa had read of such
things being done. But it was an admission or advance from her as
unexpected as it was belated. Gard tossed about awhile on his bed,
thinking of it. As he had often acknowledged to himself, he had been
interested in her more than any girl he had yet known.

In the morning, when things were clearer in his consciousness, he
assumed that her enterprising, calculating mother had inspired the
gift. For it seemed to be _apropos_ of nothing in particular at this
unpropitious time, although he had made Elsa little presents during
the fall and early winter. It was evident that the family, after the
arrival of the mirific Jim Deming, had grown somewhat accustomed to
Americans and had at length struck a sentimental attitude.

CHAPTER XXXII

A GERMAN MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

A day or two afterward, another little tragedy visited Villa Elsa,
following on the heels of the unfortunate departure of Tekla. Ernst
came home at lunch time with his head swollen in reds and purples
and hardly able to walk. At his morning drill his sergeant had
knocked him down by a blow in the face and then kicked him in the
knee. The little philosopher was a good deal of a dreamer and had
failed in strict and prompt attention. To strike down and boot the
rank and file are, of course, a normal part of Prussian army
discipline.

Kirtley was incensed, horrified. But to his amazement the family
sided with the officer. Although Ernst stood in grave danger of
being crippled for life, they were ugly in their censures of him.
They said it was a good thing to bring him down from the clouds.

The poor little fellow was a pitiable object for some time. He not
only suffered painfu