hhold from your house, you could
never be happy again. Do not think, sir, that I would give the child
away; how shall I, how shall we all be able to bear it, when the dear,
sunny face shall have disappeared forever from among our children." The
tears came into the mother's eyes also, and she could say no more.

"Well, I have to declare that the little wanderer has fallen into good
hands," said the colonel, giving his hand to the pastor's wife in an
approving way. "You will allow me now to depart."

This time the gentleman was determined to go. He went out and walked
along the long corridor with head lifted proudly, followed by the
pastor, who tried in vain to overtake him so that he could open the door
for his guest. But before the door could be opened from within, it was
pushed open with great force from outside, and like an arrow the slender
Edi shot straight into the tall colonel, who had been standing directly
behind the closed door; and at once after Edi, Ritz rushed into Edi, and
the tall gentleman received the second push, and in his ears rang
confused screamings of mixed words: "They are coming--they
come--Marianne--Erick--Marianne--they come--they come." And really! In
the house door appeared Marianne, quite broad in her Sunday best,
holding Erick, of whom she kept a firm grasp, as if he might fall from
there down again into the Woodbach. Behind both the partaking scholars
of the parishes pressed in with shouts of rejoicing.

There was no possibility for the military gentleman to get out; the
crowd pressed into the house with great force. He gave in and did what
he had never done before in his life--he retreated, step by step, until
he had arrived, backwards, over the threshold of the study, together
with the whole of the pastor's family, old and young; and at last the
fighting Sally pressed in. She had taken Erick by the hand and did not
want to let go of him, and on the other side Marianne held his hand as
in a clamp, and she herself was held back from all sides, for the
schoolfellows wanted to know first the story of how Erick was lost and
found again.

It was an indescribable uproar. Only after the efforts of Sally had
succeeded in pulling Erick and Marianne out of the human ball and into
the study, was there sufficient calm so that one could understand the
other, for the school friends had stayed respectfully before the door;
they did not dare to press into the study-room of their pastor.

Now only co