and even her confident bearing toward
Eric was gone; there was a sort of shyness, and she seldom spoke to
him. But this want of notice was something very far removed from that
haughty indifference with which she had formerly disregarded him; there
was defiance, angry resistance in her demeanor, as if she would say, I
do not comprehend why you are of any interest to me whatever.

Manna also occasionally visited the castle, going by herself with her
two dogs. She had the Architect explain to her the plans of this
building as it was being restored, and as it existed formerly.

She took an interest in the work, and entered into consultation with
her father in regard to the fitting up of the hall already finished,
the so-called Knight's hall.

Sonnenkamp was busily employed in buying the ancient weapons to be hung
upon the walls, and the armor to be placed upon the pillars. He could
not refrain from saying to Manna beforehand, that he intended to
dedicate the castle in the autumn, on her birthday; but she desired
that this should be omitted. This continual festivity and banqueting
did not suit her; and she was particularly anxious that her birthday
should be marked by no external celebration, even of the simplest kind.

Since her return from the convent, if she would honestly confess it to
herself,--and Manna ventured to confess all,--she had taken greater
pleasure in her dogs than in anything else. She had even written a
letter to the Superior, asking whether they would allow her to bring a
dog with her into the convent, but had burned the letter afterwards.
She represented to herself how laughable it would be for a nun to be
going through the garden with a dog at her heels, and how intolerable
if every nun had a dog of her own. She smiled to herself for the first
time, and then again asked herself the question, Why do we have no
animals in the convent? Eric found her as she was sitting down and
talking to her dogs.

"Do you not think," she asked, "that a dog, this one, for instance, has
an unspeakably sad expression of face?"

"Whoever looks for it can find it. The mystics say that it came from
the fall of man; that since then, all creatures have a mournful
expression."

Manna thanked him, but this time with a look only, and not with words.
"Surprising how the man can enter into every thing! And why is he still
a heretic! Why?"

A carriage was advancing toward them, and a white handkerchief was
already waving in