The days passed quietly, and Spring, that now burst forth with such gladness on the earth, seemed to bring fresh life with its pure breezes, to the Morgenhalde also. The Landlady often came up to visit them, and enjoyed the bright sunshine on the hill. The Landlord was scarcely ever visible. He had become more gruff than ever. Annele evidently cared less to be with her parents, and clung with greater affection than ever to Lenz; indeed, she often went with him on Sunday mornings, and holiday evenings, to the wood, where her husband had put up a bench on his father-in-law's property, and there they used to sit happily together, and Lenz said:-- "Listen to that bird! that is a genuine musician; he does not ask if anyone is listening to him, but he warbles his song for himself and his wife, and so do I also." Lenz sung sweetly in the echoing wood, and Annele replied:-- "You are quite right, and you ought to leave the Choral Society; it is no longer a fitting place for you: as a bachelor, Faller and the rest of them might quite well be your companions, but now that you are married, it won't do any longer, and you are too old to sing now." "I too old? Each spring I am born afresh in the world. At this moment I feel as if I were a child once more. This is the spot where I built a little boat with my brother who died. How happy we were!" "You always speak as if every trifle in your life were something marvellous. What is there remarkable in that?" "You are right, I must learn to grow old; I am almost as old as the wood in fact, for I remember that when I was a child, there were very few large trees, but all young plantation. Now the wood, which is grown far, far above our heads, is ours." "How do you mean ours? Has my father made it over to you?" "No, it still belongs to your father--that is--on certain conditions. He never had the power entirely to cut down the wood, because it is our protection against the weather, a safeguard against the snow, or a landslip of the hill itself, falling on our house and burying it." "Why do you talk to me about such things? What are they to me?" "I don't understand you." "Nor I you. In my situation you should not imagine such dreadful possibilities." "Very well, then I will sing you something, and if anyone hears us, so much the better." Lenz and Annele went homewards, singing, and soon a visitor arrived: it was the Landlord himself. He took his son-in-law aside into another room, and said:-- "Lenz, I can do you a service." "I am glad to hear it. I shall be glad to learn what it is." "Has the bailiff still got your money?" "He paid me four hundred gulden, but I spent part of it in furnishing." "Hard cash is now the thing; you can make a good profit by it." "I will call it up from the bailiff." "That would take too long. Give me a bill for the sum, I will invest it for you and you will gain five-and-twenty per cent." "Then we must share it."