Joseph; for if it had not been
for us he would have been the first man in the village. Wherever he
went, they inquired, "How goes it with Waldfried?" or "How is Joseph
Linker?" It annoyed him that they did not ask after him first of all.

He would have been glad to take a share in politics, but was too mean
to bestow the requisite amount of time upon such matters; and then he
would say, "Such folks as Funk should not be permitted to put in their
say; there is nothing behind him."

We had just reached the saw-mill, down in the valley, when we saw a
large hay-wagon coming along the road in the direction of the meadow.
Martella sat on top: Rothfuss was walking beside the horses.

Martella alighted. She looked quite troubled. She welcomed Richard, and
asked me, "Where have you left Ernst?"

"He is not with us."

"Where then?"

We had no time to reply before Martella called out, "So he must go to
war after all!"

"Of course."

"Of course? Of course?" Martella asked repeatedly. She stopped for a
moment, and removing the rake from her shoulder rested herself upon it.

I told her that in all likelihood there would be no war, and that all
the clamor was nothing more than angry threatening on both sides.

"That is not true!" cried Martella; "you should not tell me an
untruth!"

"Martella, this is my father!" cried Richard.

"And mine too," she interrupted; "forgive me! Because you are my father
you should forgive me; if you did not you would not and could not be my
father. Forgive me! Oh! they will shoot my good, kind Ernst!"

She sat down by the roadside and covered her face with both her hands.
In a little while, however, she yielded to our entreaties, and
accompanied us to the house, but without speaking a word on the way. As
soon as we arrived there, she hurriedly left us and hastened to the
barn. In a few moments she returned and cried out with a loud voice,
"Mother, Richard is here!"

The child's temperament was strangely variable.

My wife was especially delighted at Richard's return. "With one
exception," she said, smiling (for she could not reconcile herself to
Richard's remaining unmarried), "you always did the right thing at the
right time. We need both a son and a Professor. Perhaps you will be
able to make Martella understand what is meant by the words State and
Fatherland."

She told us that Martella, who was generally so quick of apprehension,
found it impossible to form any conception of thos