'Peace to her ashes!' said Alf with emotion; 'but I now perceive quite clearly that she would have been no wife for me. What God brings to pass is intended for our good.' At that moment began under the windows, arranged by the wedding guests, an excellent morning serenade; and the vocalists, falling in, sang to the bridal pair, in Martin Luther's words:[3] 'Oh happy man, whose soul is fill'd With zeal and reverend awe! His lips to God their honors yield, His life adorns the law. 'A careful Providence shall stand And ever guard thy head, Shall on the labors of thy hand, Its kindly blessings shed.' 'Shall on the labors of thy hand,'--said the young couple joyfully to each other at the same moment, and Alf smilingly remarked; 'now we shall be sure to live together at least a year, my Clara, since we both had the same thought at the same time.' Again sang the choir: 'Thy wife shall be a fruitful vine; Thy children round thy board, Each like an olive-plant shall shine, And learn to fear the Lord. 'The Lord shall thy best hopes fulfil For months and years to come; The Lord who dwells on Zion's hill, Shall send thee blessings home.' Reminded of the pleasures of paternity, Alf pressed his beloved wife yet closer, while she hid her blushing face in his bosom. They listened with delighted attention to the remainder of the hymn, and when the last verse came they joined in with a pious ecstasy, and in thankful remembrance of all that God had done for them: 'To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, The God whom we adore, Be everlasting honors paid Henceforth, forevermore.' CHAPTER XXXI. Having obtained an honorable discharge from the army of the Diet, Alf settled himself with his young wife under the shadow of Fabricius's wing at Cassel, as a respectable armorer. The property which he took with him from Munster, together with the rich marriage presents which he received from the bishop and count Oberstein, rendered him a well conditioned burgher. He enjoyed the blessings of a middle station in society, in an unusual measure, and the painful remembrance of what he had experienced, performed, and suffered, was merged by degrees in the feeling of repose, and in the quiet enjoyment of well merited prosperity.