it, and laughed so heartily when the little thing made a
queer, wry face.

"'Oh, see, just see!' she called to her husband. 'Who does he look like
now? Only look!' Of course we stood in dutiful admiration and looked at
the little creature. But Brockelmann, who was just going through the
room, said: 'Ah, I have seen it from the first moment. He has a real
Hegewitz face; he looks most like his aunt, Anna Maria.'

"Susanna started up as if the greatest injury had been done her. 'It is
not true!' she whispered, and kissed the child. But Klaus had heard it,
nevertheless; he had grown very red, and slowly put the folded letter in
his pocket, and an expression of disappointment passed over his face. He
sat down by Susanna and kissed her hand, but did not mention his
sister's name.

"What Klaus wrote in reply to Anna Maria I never learned; but he said:
'Anna Maria is always right; it was well that she did not come
immediately, as I wished.'

"And three weeks more passed. Susanna already walked up and down on the
gay mosaic pavement of the terrace occasionally, and Isa walked about in
the sunny garden with the blue-veiled child. Then one rainy evening,
about six o'clock, a slender woman's figure walked into my dim room.

"'Anna Maria!' I cried joyfully; 'my dear old child, are you really here
again?'

"She put her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder. 'Yes,
aunt,' she said softly, and I felt her heart beat violently. 'Yes--but
now take care that I may greet Klaus first alone; we have so much to
say to each other!'

"He had entered, meanwhile, before I could answer. 'I saw you coming
through the garden, Anna Maria,' he cried joyfully, holding her two
hands; 'thank God that you are here again!'

"The next instant she fell, weeping, on his neck. They had so much to
say to each other; I would not hear them beg forgiveness of each other,
and went softly out.

"And Susanna? I asked myself. I found the young wife down-stairs in the
salon the sound of her merry laugh came toward me. There were one or two
ladies from the neighborhood there, and Isa had just brought in the
child. There was so much laughing, chattering, and congratulating that I
got no chance at first to inform Susanna that her sister-in-law had
arrived. At last the ladies took their leave, and we two were alone.
Susanna walked up and down the great room, playing with the child.

"'So stupid,' she scolded, 'that I don't know a single cradle-song