hat the children had not met their uncle
just by chance. They had come to find him. Old Valentine had thought
of how love that has waited long hurries to meet thousands of
homecomers; it had hurt him to think that his favorite alone should
fail to find any greeting before he knocked at his father's door.

Apollonius suddenly ceased speaking. He was shocked to think that his
embarrassment had caused him to forget his father. His brother
understood his start and said with relief: "He's in the little
garden." Apollonius jumped up and hurried out.

There, among his beds, crouched the figure of the old gentleman. He
was still following old Valentine's shears with his critical hands as
the servant slipped along on his knees before him. He found many an
inequality which the fellow had to remove at once. It was no wonder.
Twice every minute old Valentine thought: "Now he's coming!" And when
he thought thus the shears cut crookedly right into the bog. And the
old gentleman would have growled in quite another manner if the same
thought had not made uncertain the hand that was now his eye.

Apollonius stood before his father and could not speak for pain. He
had long known that his father was blind and had often pictured him to
himself in sorrowful thought. At such times he had seen him looking as
usual, only with a shield over his eyes. He had thought of him sitting
or leaning on old Valentine, but never as he now saw him, the tall
figure helpless as a child, the trembling and uncertain hands feeling
their way. Now he knew for the first time what it meant to be blind.

Valentine laid the shears down and laughed or cried on his knees; it
could not be said what he did. The old gentleman first inclined his
head to one side as if listening, then he pulled himself together.
Apollonius saw that his father felt his blindness to be something of
which he must be ashamed. He saw how the old man exerted himself to
avoid every movement that might recall the fact that he was blind. The
old gentleman felt that the new-comer was somewhere near him. But
where? On which side? Apollonius understood that his father felt this
uncertainty with shame, and forced himself to cry with a voice that
almost failed him. "Father! Dear father!" He dropped on his knees
beside the old man and wanted to throw both arms around him. His
father made a motion which seemed to beg for forbearance, though it
was only intended to keep the young man away from him. Apoll