"Reassure yourself, mother, and spare me your misgivings," said Johannes with unusual sternness, again turning to his newspaper, while he listened to every rustle outside the door of the room. The Staatsräthin brought from a cupboard a delicate little coffee-mill and began to grind some fresh coffee. The clock struck half-past eight. "It is easy to see that the young lady has not been used to a regular household," the Staatsräthin could not forbear observing. "I only see that she is worn out after the fatigue of yesterday." "No one who is accustomed to early rising ever sleeps so late in the morning." "It is impossible to rise early when one works all night long." "It is a bad custom for the head of a household!" "Mother," said Johannes, starting up, "I should be downright unhappy if I did not know how kind-hearted you really are." "Indeed?" The Staatsräthin shook up the coffee, but her hands trembled visibly. "This girl changes everything. Since she came into the house, all things are wrong: to-day, I make you unhappy,--yesterday, I was no mother to you! And yet, my son, since the painful day when I gave you birth, I have never been more a mother to you than now in my anxiety for your true happiness!" She could say no more; her emotion choked her utterance. "Mother dearest," cried Johannes, embracing her tenderly, "you must not shed a tear because of a hasty word of mine. Come forgive me,--I am really so happy to-day. My dear, good mother, scold your boy well, I beg." The Staatsräthin smiled again, and stroked her darling's shining curls. "God bless you, my dear son. It is because I love you so that I cannot give you to any but the noblest and best of women. I tremble lest you, who are without an equal in my eyes, should throw yourself away upon a wife who is unworthy of you." "Trust me, mother, I understand and thank you, but, if you want me to be happy, love me a little less and Ernestine more! This is all I ask of you,--will you not do it?" "The first I cannot do, but I will try to do the last, because you desire it, my son!" "That's my own dear mother!" cried Johannes, kissing her still beautiful hands. "And now you may go and waken our guest, for I must see her before I go to the University." "Here she is!" said the Staatsräthin, going forward to greet Ernestine. "Good-morning, my dear. How did you sleep?" And she kissed her brow. Ernestine looked at her, surprised and grateful. "Oh, I slept as if rocked by angels,--I have not felt so rested and refreshed for a long time!" Then, holding out a bunch of lovely white roses to Johannes, she asked, "Did you have these beautiful roses laid outside my door?" Johannes blushed slightly, and gazed enraptured at the beautiful creature. "Yes, I put them there myself."