ves, and be happy!"

Hardly had Herr Lionardo finished his speech when the other young lady
who had sung the song approached me, crowned me with a wreath of fresh
myrtle, and as she was arranging it, with her face close to my own,
archly sang--

"And therefore do I crown thee,
And therefore love thee so,
Because thou oft hast moved me
With the music of thy bow."

As she retreated a step or two, "Do you remember the robbers who shook
you down from the tree at night?" said she, courtesying, and giving
me so arch a glance that my heart danced within me. Thereupon, without
waiting for an answer, she walked around me. "Actually just the
same, without any Italian affectations! But no! look, look at his fat
pockets!" she exclaimed suddenly to the lovely Lady fair. "Violin,
linen, razor, portmanteau, everything stuffed together!" She turned
me all round as she spoke, and could scarcely say anything more for
laughing. Meanwhile, the lovely Lady fair was quite silent, and could
hardly raise her eyes for shame and confusion. It seemed to me that
at heart she was provoked at all this jesting talk. At last her eyes
filled with tears, and she hid her face on the breast of the other
lady, who first looked at her in surprise and then clasped her
affectionately in her arms.

I stood there as in a dream. The longer I looked at the strange lady
the more clearly I recognized her; she was in truth no other than--the
young painter, Herr Guido!

I did not know what to say, and was just about to question her, when
Herr Lionardo approached her and spoke in an undertone. "Does he not
know yet?" I heard him ask. She shook her head. He reflected for a
moment, and then said aloud, "No, no, he must be told all immediately,
or there will be all kinds of fresh gossip and confusion."

"Herr Receiver," he said, turning to me, "we have not much time at
present, but do me the favor to exhaust your stock of surprise
and wonder as quickly as possible, that you may not hereafter, by
questions, and wonderings, and head-shakings among the people about
here, revive old tales and give rise to new rumors and suspicions." So
saying, he drew me aside into the shrubbery, while Fraeulein Guido made
passes in the air with the Lady fair's riding-whip, and shook all her
curls down over her eyes, which did not prevent my seeing that she was
blushing violently.

"Well, then," said Herr Lionardo, "Fraeulein Flora, who is trying
to look as if she neither