reit remained
silent. "Decide which shall remain, as one or the other of us must
leave; you are perfectly free to choose."

"Then, naturally, there is no choice left me," replied Ebenstreit,
despondingly. "I declare myself for my wife, of course, who is the
noblest and proudest beauty in Berlin, and will make my house the centre
of attraction to the aristocracy, nobility, and wealth. This is my
greatest pride, and to secure this I wooed my beautiful bride, and have
submitted to all the sorrow and humiliation which have been my portion.
If I must choose between the mother and daughter, I naturally prefer the
latter."

"He abandons me also!" cried the mother. "You are an ungrateful,
wretched man! You forget that you owe every thing to me, and that
without me you were a miserable mercenary, whose stupidity and
tediousness were the ridicule of every one, and you had never gained the
entrance to a genteel house. What have you now become? A high-born man,
whose house every one will crowd, and who could even appear at court, as
he bears our noble and distinguished name. To whom do you owe all this,
but to me alone?"

"God in heaven, Thou hearest it!" cried Marie, solemnly, with uplifted
arms. "She acknowledges that she alone has brought this misfortune upon
me, and in this hour I stand justified."

"Pardon, Frau von Werrig," said Ebenstreit, haughtily; "you are going
too far. After my fortune, I thank you for my position. I am certainly
of insignificant birth, but I am ambitious and rich. I said to myself,
'Money can bring about all that I wish,' and you see it has accomplished
it. My wealth procured me a title, a splendid house, a beautiful wife,
and a position in society. I acknowledge that you aided me in the
carrying out of my plans, but you would not have done it, if I had not
been in a position to pay you. You receive a very considerable annuity
from me, therefore you cannot accuse me of ingratitude, but must confess
that you have driven a very good bargain. You must forgive me if I beg
of you to end this painful scene."

"That means that I must leave," said Frau von Werrig, mildly,
remembering the gambling debt and the annuity. "Very well, I will go,
and promise you never to return, upon two conditions."

"Have the goodness to communicate them," said Ebenstreit.

"The first is, pay the gambling-debt of my husband, who has played
away the entire sum you allow us yearly, and do not deduct it from our
income. The