"If thou hadst let me sleep till morning and not know of thy coming I would never have forgiven thee," I assured him joyfully, holding him by the arms. And then I turned toward the door of my _Kammer_, and was opening it when he said, "Where art going? Surely thou'rt not tired of me so soon?" "Nay, to tell our leader and the Brothers and Sisters of thy return. It were selfish to keep all this great joy to myself," and again I turned toward the door, first lighting my fat lamp; but then as the flame grew up I saw my boy was so faint and weak he would have fallen to the floor had I not caught him to me and helped him to my bench, making him as easy as our hard life would allow. And surely I was well repaid for what I had suffered in all these months; for as I lay down on the floor of my cell--not finding it to my liking to let him go to his own--he whispered tenderly before he dropped off to sleep, "Thou'rt the same old _Vaterchen_;" and this praise, with my poor weakness for kind words, I held snug and warm in my heart for many a year. Thus we both slept long into the morning, only for once in my life I slept not so soundly; for I could hear that Sonnlein was tossing and murmuring in his sleep, contrary to his former habit, for like me he had always been good at sleeping. With the bright light of the morning I saw plainly now what his voice and bearing had told me but faintly in the night; for as he lay asleep, stirring often uneasily I could see that he was but a mere skeleton, his face gaunt and haggard, with great hollows under the deep set eyes, and the beard he had let grow was tangled and unkempt. A sudden fear clutched my heart that he had come home but to die. But truly the healing powers God hath placed in these bodies of ours are wonderful things to set us straight if they be given a chance to work in peace and quiet; for though I must spread the joyful news of Sonnlein's return to our leader and all the Brethren, not forgetting the Sisters, who were of a mind to make a great hero of my boy, and though the Brethren passed my cell more quietly than ever often during the day, not one with all the desire to give him greeting would disturb his rest; for he slept on until evening, not even waking ere then to take the lamb's broth our prioress had prepared for him. But early in the night he sat up, and said, "Such a sleep have I not had for many a day." "Art not hungry?" I asked anxiously, "shall I not warm this lamb's broth Mutter Maria hath made for thee?" "Blessings on our good Mutter Maria!" he cried out with some return of his old, fun-loving spirit, "but if thou lovest me," he said, as he gulped down greedily the broth--and I dislike hasty feeding--"bring me the lamb itself, for I am hungry as a wolf."