and if, since she had fathomed his candid and
upright nature, the mother had learnt to love him, was it not expecting
too much to suppose the daughter blind to all his gifts and virtues?
He, indeed, confidential and friendly as he was, appeared to have taken
good care of his own heart, and in all the unchecked playfulness of
their talk throughout the long evenings, not a word escaped his lips
that sounded other than brotherly in its tone. But if it were really
so, if this bird of passage had no thought of nest-building, it would
be all the worse for the child, and a mother's duty was to put an end
to it at once. She blamed her own weakness and inability to remind her
guest (who was really now quite able to travel) of the journey he no
longer seemed anxious to take. She felt how much she should miss him,
when she had him no longer to expend her motherly care upon, and no
more heard his frank loving voice call her "lady-mother," or even vie
with her little daughter in devising pet names for her. Then, too, she
had a sense of the ungraciousness and unfitness of hastening a guest's
departure. And so she was glad and sorry both, when a letter arrived
from Augsburg, written by his parents, who at its close enjoined their
son not to trespass too long upon the hospitality of the noble lady to
whom he owed his life, but to set out as soon as ever his wound was
healed and journey homewards; as so only could his anxious mother be
fully convinced that he was really out of danger, and that the
punishment of his recklessness had been on this occasion a lenient one.

When young Kurt had read out this letter to his two friends, not a word
was spoken by any of the three for a long time, and afterwards the talk
turned only on grave or indifferent subjects. For the sense of this
being their last evening was heavy upon the hearts of all, though none
chose to confess it. After midnight--when he had left them--mother and
daughter went on sitting up, pretending to have something to do, for
neither felt able to sleep. Then Lisabethli left the room to give some
last directions to Donate. On her return she held a sheet of paper in
her hand, and her face was as white as the paper.

"Dear mother," she stammered out, "Donate has just given me this. It is
from _him_. Will you read it."

"Read it yourself," said her mother, "there can be no harm in it."

"Oh mother," whispered the girl, "I cannot see to read it. There is a
cloud before my eyes--I