ork."

"He once hid in a little barrel," said the baron to himself. "He was a
delicate child. His nurse had put him in to bathe him, and he had bent
his back and knees in such a way that he could not get out. I was
obliged to have the hoops knocked off to extricate my boy from his
prison."

The giant cleared his throat. "Were they iron hoops?" he asked,
sympathizingly.

"It was my son," said the baron, his features quivering.

"Yes," whispered Sturm, "he was stately; he was a handsome man; it was a
pleasure to hear his sword rattle; and to see how he twisted his little
beard." Alas! how often he had said this before to the blind father.

"It was the will of Heaven!" said the baron, folding his hands.

"It was," repeated old Sturm. "Our Lord God chose to take him when at
his best. That was an honor; and no man could leave the world more
beautifully. It was for his parents and his fatherland that he put on
his coat with epaulettes, and he was victorious, and driving those Poles
before him, when the Lord called out his name and enrolled him in his
own guard."

"But I must remain behind," said the baron.

"And I rejoice that I, too, have seen our young master," continued
Sturm, more fluently; "for you know that he was our young master then.
You trusted my Karl with the whole management of the farm, and so it was
an honor for me to be able to show that I trusted your son."

"It was wrong of him to borrow money from you," said the baron, shaking
his head. And this he said, because he had often heard old Sturm's
comforting reply, and longed to hear it again.

The giant laid his tool aside, ran his hand through his hair, and tried
to look very bold as he began, in a light-hearted tone, "Do you know,
sir, that one must make allowance for a young gentleman? Youth will be
wild. Many have to borrow money in their young days, particularly when
they wear such a beautiful coat, with silver fringe upon it. We were no
niggards either, baron," he continued, deprecatingly, gently tapping the
blind man's knee with his tool. "And the young officer was very polite,
and I believe that he was somewhat bashful. And when I gave him the
money, I could see how sorry he was to want it. I gave it him all the
more readily. Then, when I helped him into the drosky, and he leaned out
of the carriage, I can assure you he was much moved, and reached out
both of his little hands to clasp my fist, and shake it once more. And
while he was sitting