red at his
sudden--you know what I mean--loss of favor at court?"

"Certainly; my father told me the whole, circumstantially."

"And did he not forbid you to speak of it to any one?"

"To others, but not to you."

"Did he mention me by name?"

"No, but he expressly enjoined it upon me to inform those whom I
honored with my whole soul, and so I can tell you."

"Speak rather low," Clodwig enjoined, and Eric went on.

"My father, in that last interview which no one knew anything about,
was to have received from the hand of the sovereign a title of
nobility, in order that he might be appointed to an office at court. He
said to the sovereign, 'Your highness, you make null the blessing of
the long years in which I have spent my best strength in the education
of my youthful prince, if you think I accept this on my own account, or
that I regard it as something belonging to the age in which we live.'
'I do not make a jest of such things,' the prince replied. 'Neither do
I,' said my father.

"Years after, his lips trembled as he related this to me, and he said,
that that moment, when he stood face to face with his pupil speechless,
was the bitterest moment of his life."

A silent pause now ensued between Eric and Clodwig, until the latter
said finally, "I understand, I understand; let us go."

They went into the breakfast-room on the ground floor, the doors of
which were wide open. Bella soon appeared; she thought that Eric looked
at her scrutinisingly, and quickly turning away, she went to a side
table to prepare the coffee.

"My wife," said Clodwig, "has already sent a messenger, this morning,
to Fraeulein Perini, and I have added a message to Herr Sonnenkamp, that
you, dear Dournay, would present yourself this evening, or, what would
be better, early to-morrow morning."

"And I am to ask you to excuse my brother, who has set out, early
this morning, in company with a young man whom they call here the
Wine-chevalier, to the horse-market at Mannheim. Will you have coffee
or tea?"

"If you please, coffee."

"That is fine, and on the strength of that we are good friends," said
Bella, in a lively way. "It is an abominable excess of politeness, when
people reply to such a question, 'It makes no difference to me.' If it
makes no difference to you, dear polite soul, then give some decided
answer, and don't put off the choice upon me."

A merry key was thus struck, and they seated themselves at table. Bella
noticed