her
mind to give you a stepfather, and her decision was solemnly celebrated
last night in a select circle of authorities and townspeople. Your
mother's health and her bridegroom's, was drunk with all the honors, as
the clock struck twelve.

"At first I thought that all the world must be astonished, and would
regard it as no less improbable than improper, that a mother should
think of weddings, when she has a great grown-up son so far away. But,
judging by their words at least, it did not astonish them at all, and
they seemed to think it quite correct; and so after all, I daresay,
there is no one to find fault with us, save precisely this grown-up
son. Here I would make the appropriate observation that a dutiful child
never presumes to judge its parents, but rather looks respectfully on
all their actions, as emanations of a maturer judgment.

"In the fond hope that my dear Walter is just such a dutiful child, I
send him his stepfather's love meanwhile, and I trust that he will not
fail to bring us his in return, when some fine day he comes back to us
as a distinguished architect; when, instead of the poky old house we
are to take possession of in autumn, he will have to build us a sunny
airy villa outside the gates; though I should not care for volcanoes or
shell-galleries.

"And now I must say good-bye to you for to-day. He (major) is just come
to fetch me for a walk; and as he is to be my master, of course I must
obey. Only about your father; he has grown quite young again, and his
leg is quite alert--to be sure the days are warm, and I don't really
think, that without that trip to Italy--It is no use trying. My master
will not leave me time to finish--I begin to fear that I have sold
myself to cruel bondage. Thank Heaven! I have a great strong son to
threaten with, who, I trust, will never forget, or cease to care for
his

"little mother."

"P. S. It would be dishonesty in me to suppress poor Lottchen's love:
she asked after you the very first thing, with a charming little air of
melancholy; which, however, did not prevent her dancing every dance,
and eating a vielliebchen at supper with the Burgermeister's son. Alas!
they are all alike!--Youth is given to folly; and even age----!"

Here came a long dash of the pen, which Walter sat looking at, without
moving for half an hour. Only when his landlady came in to ask him
whether he would have his lamp, he stared at her, s