him to allow himself a few days'
recreation. Stroking his pale, thin face, she said, "You will regain
the fresh color of life; life and work are one's duty; that was always
what your father said and did."

It was to be determined when Eric returned what plan of life they would
adopt. The thought, which she could not keep down, was very painful to
the mother, that they could no longer continue in their former mode of
life without care and responsibility, but must make provision for the
future, a state of things never contemplated by her. And with pain that
she sought to repress, but could not wholly conceal, calling to mind a
saying of Lessing, she saw her son standing in the marketplace and
asking for work. Moreover, she hoped that her son would consent finally
to receive some position through patronage; at any rate he must again
recover his fresh, youthful looks. Had the mother seen him now, she
would have been astonished to see how quickly that had taken place; for
a brightness shone in his eye, and a color in his countenance more
brilliant and glowing than in his best and most tranquil days.

For the sake of giving some special object to his journey, she had
commissioned him to carry her greeting to the Superior of the convent.
He was now on his return, for a simple newspaper advertisement had
given an unexpected direction to his journey and his purposes.

Wonderful! thought Eric to himself, placing his hand upon the breast
pocket containing the newspaper, wonderful, how the calls are given
which send forth here and there the adventurous Ulysses!

Meanwhile he had sufficient youthful elasticity not to neglect, for the
sake of the goal, the pleasures to be enjoyed by the way. He watched
with an intelligent glance the machinery of the boat, and the life on
the river and on the banks. At the second landing the two nuns were to
stop, and the pretty Frenchwoman gave him a backward nod, as she
descended the side ladder. When in the boat she sat looking down with
folded hands; and on landing, she gave no further look behind.

The passengers changed at every landing. At one village came a band of
pilgrims, chiefly women with white kerchiefs on their heads; and when
they disembarked, a troop of Turners came on board, in their light gray
uniform, and immediately struck up a song upon the deck, whilst the
pilgrims sang upon the shore. In all the cities and villages they
passed bells were ringing on that bright spring day fu