, there's no good in being here. Nobody welcomed us at the
Villa, Manna was not to be seen, Herr Dournay isn't there, and Roland
runs away. Come, we'll quit the whole premises. Forgive me for having
brought you here before going anywhere else. I thought these were the
people to whom I should make known my happiness in the very first
place. Come, we'll go to your castle, and spend the whole day for once;
you shall be a solitary knight, and I'll be a castle-maiden. Come, I
thought there was to be a betrothal here to-day, too; but it doesn't
look like it at all, and there's something frightful the matter."

Lina and her betrothed went together to the castle, up through the
vineyard, but they were detained at the Major's, who was standing
utterly helpless by the garden-hedge.

Such a thing had never happened as took place to-day.

Fraeulein Milch had locked herself in her room; she must have met with
something very extraordinary.

The Major was perfectly delighted to hear of the betrothal, but he only
said:--

"Ah, there might be one down therein the Villa, too; but I'm
afraid--I'm afraid we'll hear some bad news from there."

The Major insisted upon the betrothed couple taking a seat in his
arbor, saying that Fraeulein Milch would soon be down.

The Fraeulein was sitting in her chamber alone, for the first time in a
sore struggle. The world had been a matter of indifference to her, and
only of account so far as some thing could be obtained from it
agreeable to the Major. She found the neighborhood very friendly, and
she was grateful to the soil, for the Major had a good digestion, and
elsewhere he suffered from dyspepsia. She was also grateful to the
Rhine, which occasionally furnished a nice fish, and she would nod to
the mountains, as if she would say: That's right! just produce good
wine; the Major likes to drink it when new, but he mustn't drink too
mach of it. Thus was the Fraeulein kindly disposed towards man and
beast, towards water and plants; it was a matter of indifference that
nobody troubled himself about her. She had strenuously declined every
intimate connection, and now, through the Professorin, she had been
drawn more among people, and had to-day been so deeply mortified. She
had known Bella for a long time, although very distantly, and she had
disliked her for a long time, although very distantly; but what she had
experienced to-day was something wholly novel, and it grieved her
sorely.

"O," sai