me, and agreeable man come to the
house as teacher to our daughter?"

"How could I suppose my daughter was so degenerated as to love a common
schoolmaster, and wish to marry him?"

"It is truly unheard of, and it would make any one angry, my dear wife,
for she insists upon loving him."

"She will not insist, she will do what she is commanded to do--my word
for it! But why talk about it? It is better to decide the matter at
once."

So Frau von Werrig rose with a determined manner, and rang the small
brass bell which was upon the sofa-table. But a few seconds elapsed
before a little, crooked servant appeared at the side-door, with her
dirty apron put aside by tucking the corner in her belt. "Go to my
daughter, and tell her to come down immediately!"

The servant, instead of hastening to obey the order, remained standing
upon the threshold. "I dare not go," said she, in a hoarse, croaking
voice. "Fraulein told me not to disturb her to-day, for she has still
two bouquets of flowers to arrange, and two lessons to give, and she is
so busy that she is not at home to visitors. She torments herself from
morning till night."

"I order you to tell Fraulein to come down at once; we have something
important to tell her. No contradiction! go, Trude!"

The servant understood the cold, commanding tone of the mother, and
dared not disobey.

"It is nothing good that they have to tell her," grumbled Trude, as she
hurried up the stairs which led from the first story into the little,
low room in the attic, under the sloping roof. Here and there a few
tiles could be lifted, which lighted the garret sufficiently to show the
door at the end. "May I come in, my dear Fraulein? it is Trude."

"The door is open," cried a sweet voice, and Trude entered. It is a
most charming little room, just that of a young girl. The bed has a
snow-white covering, and white curtains, suspended from a hook in the
wall around it. The same curtains at the low gable-windows, whose
depth, so to speak, made a light anteroom to the real gloomy one in the
background. In this little anteroom the young girl had placed all that
was necessary for her pleasure and use. There were the most beautiful,
sweet-scented flowers upon the window-stool; in a pretty metal cage was
a light-colored canary. There were also pretty engravings, and upon the
table stood a vase filled with superb artificial flowers, and before
it sat the possessor of this room, the daughter of General