r at some injustice or meanness,
and that is what frightens me so."

"His godfather of the same name has probably passed that on to him.
Nobody more than you, Maxa, has always tried to wash him clean and excuse
him for all his deeds of anger. In your indestructible admiration ..."

Uncle Philip got no further, as all the children now came running toward
them. The two little ones both tried hard to put the biggest
strawberries they had found into the mouths of their mother and uncle.
Mea could not hold her magnificent bunch of forget-me-nots near enough to
their eyes to be admired. The two older boys had approached, too, as
they had an announcement to make. The sun had gone down behind the
mountain, so they had remembered that it was time to go home.

Mother and uncle rose from their seats and the whole group started down
the mountainside. The two little ones were gaily trotting beside the
uncle, bursting into wild shouting now and then, for he made such leaps
that they flew high into the air sometimes. He held them so firmly,
however, that they always reached the ground safely.

At the entrance to the house Kurt had a brilliant idea. "Oh, mother," he
called out excitedly over the prospect, "tonight we must have the story
of the Wallerstaetten family. It will fit so well because we were able to
see the castle today, with all its gables, embrasures and battlements."

But the mother answered: "I am sorry to say we can't. Uncle is here
today, and as he has to leave early tomorrow morning, I have to talk to
him tonight. You have to go to bed early, otherwise you will be too
tired to get up tomorrow after your long walk."

"Oh, what a shame, what a shame!" Kurt lamented. He was still hoping
that he would find out something in the story about the ghost of
Wildenstein, despite the fact that one could not really believe in him.
Sitting on the tree that afternoon, he had been lost in speculations as
to where the ghost might have appeared.

When the mother went to Maezli's bed that night to say prayers with her
she found her still very much excited, as usual, by the happenings of the
day. She always found it difficult to quiet the little girl, but to-day
she seemed filled by very vivid impressions. Now that everything was
still, they seemed to come back to her.

Maezli sat straight up in her bed with shining eyes as soon as her mother
appeared. "Why was the Knippel-soup allowed to spoil Apollonie's Sunday
peace?" she cried