company her, as the carriage stand was quite near.
Cousin Briest declined, of course, to accede to this request.
Thereupon they bade each other good night, after arranging to meet the
following morning.

Effi was up rather early and, as the air was almost as warm as in the
summer, had ordered the breakfast table moved close to the open
balcony door. When Innstetten appeared she stepped out upon the
balcony with him and said: "Well, what do you say? You wished to hear
the finches singing in the Tiergarten and the parrots calling in the
Zoological Garden. I don't know whether both will do you the favor,
but it is possible. Do you hear that? It came from the little park
over yonder. It is not the real Tiergarten, but near it."

Innstetten was delighted and as grateful as though Effi herself had
conjured up all these things for him. Then they sat down and Annie
came in. Roswitha expected Innstetten to find a great change in the
child, and he did. They went on chatting, first about the people of
Kessin, then about the visits to be made in Berlin, and finally about
a summer journey. They had to stop in the middle of their conversation
in order to be at the rendezvous on time.

They met, as agreed, at Helms's, opposite the Red Palace, went to
various stores, lunched at Hiller's, and were home again in good
season. It was a capital day together, and Innstetten was very glad to
be able once more to share in the life of a great city and feel its
influence upon him. The following day, the 1st of April, he went to
the Chancellor's Palace to register, considerately foregoing a
personal call, and then went to the Ministry to report for duty. He
was received, in spite of the rush of business and social obligations,
in fact he was favored with a particularly friendly reception by his
chief, who said: "I know what a valuable man you are and am certain
nothing can ever disturb our harmony."

Likewise at home everything assumed a good aspect. Effi truly
regretted to see her mother return to Hohen-Cremmen, even after her
treatment had been prolonged to nearly six weeks, as she had predicted
in the beginning. But the loss was partly offset by Johanna's arrival
in Berlin on the same day. That was at least something, and even if
the pretty blonde was not so near to Effi's heart as the wholly
unselfish and infinitely good-natured Roswitha, nevertheless she was
treated on an equality with her, both by Innstetten and her young
mistress, bec