house and garden may come back, has been may be again."

"Good heavens!" exclaimed the Hofrath, from his post at the window, "there comes the Conrector, with his Dürten Holzen on his arm, and Rand walking alongside, and they are going directly to the palace."

"What the devil! What does that mean? Has my brother-in-law gone crazy?"

This is strange!"

The Conrector turned half round, and answered, over his shoulder: "Nothing shall! Do you understand me? I will," and with that he went into his Highness's cabinet.

As he entered the room, his Highness came up to him, and asked, "Conrector, shall we have a thunder-storm to-day?" And Friedrich Franz said, at the same moment, "It is impossible! Is it not? Where should a thunder-storm come from, to-day?"

The old Conrector made a low bow to his own Serene Highness, and then turned to Friedrich Franz, and said:

"Serene Highness of Schwerin, I am an old schoolmaster, and I hope I have done my duty all my life. I cannot make the weather, however, nor can I prophesy; for the old prophets are dead, and the new ones are bitten with madness. But I did not come here to-day about that. Serene Highness," and he turned to his own gracious sovereign, "in the Nemerow Wood, the other day, you brought a poor woman

"Now he has a bride, too! Another bride! All three of them!" cried his Highness, springing up from his chair.

"Yes," said the Conrector, “Dürten Holzen is my bride, and a brave bride;" and with that he turned and opened the door: "Dürten, come in! And this is she."

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"What do I care for your brides?" cried his Highness, rushing about the room. What have I to do with your brides?" "What you have to do with other people's brides, I do not know," said the Conrector, quietly; "I do not meddle with your affairs; but what you have to do with my bride, I do know. You see, there she stands," — and Dürten stood how she stood!-pale, but ready at any time to take her solemn oath that hers was a just cause, though for greater security she had grasped the Conrector's hand, — " and now tell her, Serene Highness, that what hap pened there was a mistake!"

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"Go along with you! Go along with you!" cried his Highness. "I will have no more of your nonsense!"

"No, Serene Highness, we cannot go like that. I know very well that you cannot correct the mistake before all the people who heard what you said in the Nemerow Wood, and I do not ask it; it is enough for me and my Dürten, if. in the presence of your worshipful relation of Schwerin," here he made a low bow to Friedrich Franz,—“you will merely say, you did not mean it so."

"What is all this about?" asked Friedrich Franz.

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Stupid nonsense!" cried his Highness. Matrimony, nothing but matrimony! This foolish old fellow wants to marry, too."

"I will tell you, Serene Highness of Schwerin," said the Conrector. "This maiden here, Dürten Holzen, who is now my bride, stood up in defence of her sister Stining, whom you know, for she is the young maiden who took care of his Highness at the time of his accident; and his Highness called her a person, and made very unkind remarks about her, as if she were in pursuit of a husband, and of me in particular."

Here Dürten sank down, inch by inch.

Friedrich Franz had, up to this time, taken a very serious view of the matter; for the old Conrector appeared to be very much in earnest, and Dürten looked as if the last judgment were just at hand; but when he looked at the two standing there,

and imagined Dürten in pursuit of the Conrector, the barriers of his seriousness gave way, and the most irresistible merriment took possession of him. With an uncommonly hearty laugh, he exclaimed, "Dear cousin, dear cousin! You keep a very entertaining Court!'

Dear cousin was at a loss what to say; but the old Conrector had still something on his mind which he wished to express.

"Serene Highness of Schwerin, if you choose to laugh, I cannot prevent you; and it does not disturb me, for you are not my sovereign."

"That is true," said Dürten to herself, in a low tone; "he is not our sovereign." "But to you, Serene Highness of Mechlenburg Strelitz," continued the Conrector, drawing himself up to his full height, "I address my speech. What will the world say, a hundred or a thousand years hence, of a Duke of Mechlenburg, who was unjust to his most faithful subjects? Would it not reflect upon the Crown?" "Reflect upon the Crown," repeated Dürten quietly.

"What do you want? I am willing to say that she has made no pursuit of you. And what more would you have?”

"Dear cousin," said Friedrich Franz, who had, meanwhile, taken a survey of Dürten, "you must also say that Dorothea Holzen is a very capable and intelligent maiden, and well fitted to make a happy home for the Herr Conrector."

"I will say that, too; but now go!" "Dürten, are you satisfied with that?" asked the Conrector.

"I am satisfied," said Dürten, and she made a deep courtesy to Serene Highness of Strelitz and Serene Highness of Schwerin, and went out with the Conrec

tor.

"I shall not come to the wedding, though!" called his Highness, after them. "It is not necessary, Serene Highness," said the Conrector, on the threshold. "It will be a very quiet one."

"Rand!" cried his Highness, "run after him, and ask him if there will really be a thunder-storm to-day?"

The Conrector went, with his Dürten, across the market-place; but it happened to him as to the Court-poet, he did not go very far; for as he was passing the Rathskeller, the windows were raised, and Hofrath Altmann called to him, "Conrector, come in! There are two bridal couples here, already!"

The Court-poet was leaning out of the other window, and declaiming something across the market-place, which no human

soul understood, and possibly not he himself; and behind him old Cooper Holzen stretched out his long, lean neck, and said, "Come in, Herr Son-in-law, I am here too."

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Dürten; "since yesterday the old man seems to be possessed. What is he doing at the Rathskeller?"

But Kunst himself ran out into the street, and the little fellow was truly in earnest; he sprang upon the Conrector and grasped his two hands, tugging and pulling at them as if he must first ascertain if they really belonged to the Conrector and were genuine, then he embraced him, crying, "Brother-in-law! brother-inlaw! Shall we two be parted for a single foolish joke of mine? You cannot mean that."

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"Good gracious!" cried Dürten, "my old father! See! see! he has real wine in his glass. Come, we must go in ; he will make us trouble else."

And the Conrector embraced his brotherin-law, and said, "Kunst, the most foolish tricks sometimes turn out well, and your foolish joke has turned out well for me. Look here, - Dürten Holzen is my bride."

"I know it, I know it. Baker Schultsch was over here before daylight this morning, and has trumpeted it all over the market. And Dürten, my dear sister-inlaw, are you still angry with me?"

"No, Kunst, forgive and forget! But you will not get our cane!"

"I don't want it," said the little fellow, and he ran back, under the great archway, which is the especial pride and glory of the Nigen-Bramborg Rathhaus, and cried, "Karl, the great arm-chair out of the comptoir for my brother-in-law ! Karl, my wife must come, - Dürten Holzen is here!"

As they came into the room, Hofrath Altmann stepped up with his bride, and cried, "That is right, Conrector; we have both lost our bowl of punch."

And Kägebein pressed forward, with a great glass of wine, and declaimed: "Cupid's darts have pierced thy heart, Dürten fast is bound to thee; Therefore joyful drink with us, From the foaming beaker free! " And Kunst cried, "Karl, we must have the musicians!"

And old Cooper Holzen went up to Dürten with his glass of "Grabow's," and said,

Dürten, haven't I always said so? What lies under must come uppermost. House and garden

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Bang! Hofrath Altmann shut the window down before her nose. "Let her alone To-day is a good day, and his Highness ought to be mellowed by this time."

Stining crossed the market-place, going to the palace, but she walked as if she were going to church; she looked neither to the right nor to the left; she was wholly absorbed in her thoughts, and her thoughts were fixed upon her only happiness in life, upon her Wilhelm. In the church, and over the eternal craving of poor human hearts, reigns another Lord than in the most regal of palaces; but her thoughts were not therefore unhallowed, and she might at this moment have entered the church, and, in her trouble and her passionate love, asked of the great God, with as pure and innocent a heart, the favor which she was about to ask of an earthly sovereign; for what she meant to ask was in her eyes the very foundation and keystone of the altar, on which she would place her humble offering to the Lordan honest home.

"You shall pay dearly for this!” cried Rand, in great wrath; but he stopped abruptly, for before him stood the young Duke of Schwerin, and asked, with a mocking smile, "Why so violent, my dear Rand?"

Rand was violent; the horrible feeling which a regular Kammerdiener must always carry about with him, that he has really nothing to command, overpowered him; he seemed to himself like a lamb set apart for the slaughter, and in these circumstances his usual Kammerdiener superiority failed him. He had no longer the Court air in his nostrils; he had, in fact, scarcely any air at all, and he panted out: "What they want-what he wantswhat she wants-what they all want - I know, they want to marry."

And the mocking smile about Friedrich Franz's mouth grew more derisive as be looked at the Herr Kammerdiener in his helpless rage; but as when a cloud floats over a meadow, this mocking light disappeared, and the bright sunshine of human love shone on his face as he turned to Stining and looked into her blue eyes. Not always pure is the glance that fails upon a young maiden, and with him it may often have been otherwise; but at this moment his glance was as pure as the sunlight, and it shone into Stining's eyes, as when the sunbeams shine into the blue heavens, and he asked: "Do you, then, wish to marry? And will you have this young man for your husband?"

Yes, Herr," said Stining, looking the Duke in the eye, as if the blue heavens gave answer in truth and loyalty, “yes, Herr, he is my bridegroom; but Serene Highness will not release him from his service as runner, and this is the favor I am going to ask."

"And you shall not ask in vain,” said Friedrich Franz. "Come!"

With that, he led Stining into his Highness's cabinet.

The Herr Kammerdiener Rand stood in the ante-chamber and growled at the runner: "And so you want my place?

"I never thought of it, Rand."

"Thought! Thought! You meant to have it! For all me, you may grow gray in it, and much good may it do you! The devil a bit do I care!"

And, with that, the brave old Kammerdiener ran out of the door, and Wilhelm Halsband ran after him, crying, "Rand! Rand!" but he gave no heed, and rau directly over into Krischan Schultz's taproom.

And Wilhelm Halsband sat in the ante

chamber, and listened with one ear to what was going on there, and with the other he heard, from the Rathskeller:

"So leben wir, so leben wir, so leben wir alle Tage,

for the musicians were playing the Dessauer March, and all were singing in chorus, while the old Conrector's voice was distinctly audible as leader. But what he heard from his Highness's cabinet was more lovely for him than any song, for Stining's words sounded in his ear like the singing of the bullfinch in the early spring, through storm and rain.

Inside, with his Highness, was both storm and rain; on the part of his Highness, storm, on Stining's, rain; but gradually it grew stiller, and then the door opened, and Stining came to her Wilhelm, took him by the hand and led him into the room, and said:

"Serene Highness, this is my Wilhelm." "That is your Wilhelm, is it? And I was going to make the rascal my Kammerdiener. This is the fourth, this morning."

"Yes, truly," interposed Friedrich Franz. "This is a blessed day for betrothals. But of all four I like these the best. If dear cousin would only notice what a handsome couple!

"What do I care for handsome couples?" cried his Highness, angrily. "The fellow has always pleased me, and I wanted to make him my Kammerdiener."

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Friedrich Franz touched the bell, and a lackey came in.

"Where is Rand?" asked his Highness. "He has gone out a little while, this morning, Serene Highness."

"He may stay away altogether!” cried his Highness. "Come!" And, bowing to the Duke of Schwerin, he retired to his sleeping apartment.

The runner and Stining started to cross the market-place, but they also did not go far. The company at the Rathskeller, meanwhile, were in full swing with their wine and music; but some of them had been on the watch, nevertheless, and had tormented their brains as to the result of Stining's errand. And now Stining and her Wilhelm came out of the palace, and the old Hofrath, who had a sharp scent for such matters, cried:

"I wager twelve bottles of wine there is another bridal couple!"

And then the whole company rushed out into the street to congratulate them, with the exception of old Cooper Holzen and Dürten, for Dürten had arrested her father under the arch by the tails of his Sunday coat, and said: "Father, father! I beg of you, for goodness' sake, there will be an uproar yet, and what have we burgher people to do with it?"

"The old man was not disposed to obey orders, and cried, "Burgher people? The world turns round. What lies under must come uppermost." But Dürten held fast.

"But old Rand grows too confoundedly clever for me, knows everything better than I do!" cried his Highness.

"Dear cousin has many servants to select from; and then you promised this little maiden a favor

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Yes, yes," cried his Highness, running up and down the room, "I have said it, pledged myself, pledged myself," and here, for the first time, he looked at Stining nearer. "Yes, it is the same one who was in the Nemerow Wood, I said some. thing to her injury then, - pledged my self. Well, take him, then! But now, off with you! I will have no more of you!" The runner knew his master. He made a bow, Stining a courtesy, and, in silent blessedness, they left the room.

with wine-glasses, and the musicians stood at the window and played, and the poet Kägebein stood before the Nigen-Bramborg Rathhaus, and declaimed across the market-place:

"What a day is this for lovers!
Stining also has her runner,
The Conrector has his Dürten,
And the worthy Hofrath Altmann
Has this gracious lady here;

Dorimene to me is dear!"

Through this joyous tumult glided a young maiden, and her flaxen ringlets were blowing in the wind, and her hand shielded a face flushed with happiness and shame; and she sprang to her old father, and cried, "Father! father! All will be well now!

« Σὺ δὲ μοι πότνια μήτηρ,” said a voice, which came from behind a pillar; but Stin