the musical festival, oh, so beautifully, so beautifully!"

"That will do," interrupted Eric; "you have told enough, and must be
left alone awhile."

Eric told his mother of the strange fairy story, which that decisive
journey had given rise to in Eric's mind--he had heard of it before
from Claus--and mentioned as a singular circumstance, that this second
revolution in the boy's nature resulting in his illness, should have
recalled to him this story.

The Mother was of opinion that something similar to the story must
actually have happened, but warned Eric not to refer to the subject
again, for every recollection of past events retarded recovery and a
return to a natural state of mind.

The first time Roland could stand up, they were all surprised to see
how much he had grown during his illness. The down too, on his lip and
chin, to his great delight, had increased perceptibly. When he saw, for
the first time, the straw spread before the house, he said,--

"So the whole city has known of my illness, and I have every one to
thank. That is the best of all. How many I owe gratitude to! Whoever
shall come to me now, for the rest of my life will have a claim upon
me."

Eric and his mother exchanged glances as Roland spoke, and then cast
their eyes to the ground. Wonderful was the awakening to life displayed
before them in this young soul.

"Did Eric tell you that I had seen Pranken? asked Roland.

"Yes. Now lie down to sleep."

"No," he cried; "one thing more!"

He called for his pocket-book, in which he had written the name of the
groom whom he had suspected of robbing him on his night journey.
Reproaching himself for having hitherto neglected to inquire about him,
he charged Eric to find the man, who was now a soldier in his regiment
here, and bring him to his room.

The soldier came, and received from Roland a sum of money very nearly
as large as that in the purse at the time. Eric had no need to have
given such strict injunctions to the man not to excite Roland by much
talking, and vehement expressions of gratitude, for the soldier had no
power to speak a word. He felt as if he were in fairy land, at being
thus summoned into a great hotel, before a beautiful sick boy, and
presented with such a sum of money; it was like being transported into
another world.

Contented and happy, Roland lay in bed again. He begged his father,
when next he came to his bedside, to give away all his clothes, for he
would wea