eaty and looking as if she were going to faint.

"There now, see what you've done!" said Lorischen, hastening to Madame
Dort's side. "I told you what it would be if you blurted it out like
that!"

Burgher Jans' eyes grew quite wide with astonishment beneath the broad
rims of his tortoise-shell spectacles, giving him more than ever the
appearance of an owl.

"Peace, woman!" he exclaimed. "I--"

"Yes, that's it, dear mistress," interrupted the old nurse, half
laughing, half crying, as she knelt down beside the widow's chair and
put her arm round her caressingly. "There's peace proclaimed at last,
and the dear young Herr will come home again to you now!"

"Peace?" repeated the widow, looking up with an anxious stare from one
to the other.

"Yes, peace, most worthy lady," said Burgher Jans pompously in his
ordinary bland voice; adding immediately afterwards for Lorischen's
especial benefit--"and I was the first to tell you of it, after all."

"Never mind," replied that worthy, too much overpowered with emotion at
the happiness of the widow to contest the point. "We both brought the
glad tidings together. Madame, dearest mistress, you are glad, are you
not?"

But Madame Dort was silent for the moment. Her eyes were closed, and
her lips moving in earnest prayer of thankfulness to Him who had heard
her prayers and granted the fervent wish of her heart at last.

"Is it really true?" she asked presently.

"Yes, well-born and most worthy lady," replied the little fat man, whom
Lorischen now allowed to speak without further interruption. "Our
Bismark signed an armistice with the French at Versailles on Saturday by
which Paris capitulates, the forts defending it being given over to our
soldiers, and the starving city allowed to be reprovisioned by the good
English, who have prepared ever so many train-loads of food to go in for
the use of the population."

"Ah, those good English!" chimed in Lorischen.

"You have reason to say that, dearest maiden," continued the Burgher,
bowing suavely to the old woman. "They subscribed, ah! more than a
million thalers for this purpose in London."

"And I suppose the war will now cease?" said Madame Dort.

"Most certainly, worthy lady," replied Burgher Jans. "The armistice is
to last for three weeks to enable the French to have an election of
members to an assembly which will decide whether the contest shall go on
any further; but there is no doubt, as their armies have a