"Yesterday at this time we buried Cilli," said Justus.--Ferdinande's Pietà, which I am finishing, will stand over her grave, and declare to the world what a treasure of goodness and love and mercy lies buried there; and to these two here I will erect a monument--I showed Mieting a plan of it on the way.--She says it will be great; but how gladly I would break stone, literally, for the rest of my life, as my father-in-law said, if I could thereby awake the good, noble, brave souls to life again!--The naval uniform is very becoming to you, Reinhold! I should have modeled you that way; we must try it again--the big gold epaulettes are fine for modeling!--And who is going to preach the funeral sermon? The General and Uncle Ernst have directed that they shall both be buried in one grave. I find that beautiful and right, and the objection that they were not even publicly betrothed entirely without basis and genuinely philistine. And here it occurs to me--Uncle Ernst must speak at the grave; he speaks so well, and it will do him good to express his thoughts!--And the General, too; they both stand together, now, like brothers. A dispatch came a while ago for Uncle Ernst; I was present when he opened it, and saw how he winced; I am convinced that it is about poor Philip; they probably caught him; it is horrible that Uncle Ernst must bear that, too--on a day like this! But he didn't tell any one except the General. I saw how they went aside, and he showed the General the dispatch, and they conversed together for a long time, and then shook hands.--Uncle Ernst! who swore that the hand which he should extend to the General would shrivel up, and who asked me, half a dozen times today, whether I thought Ottomar's comrades, who had said they were coming, would really come; it was for that reason we set the funeral so late--it would be very painful for the General if they didn't come!--As if he had no sorrows of his own! He is a heroic soul!--But your Else, too, is admirable. How she loved this brother, and how quietly and calmly she orders everything now, and has a willing ear and a cheerful kindly word for every one! 'That's more than I could do, you know,' said Mieting; 'there's only one Else, you know.'--Of course I know that! But there's also only one Mieting! Am I not right?" "My dear son-in-law!" said Strummin, turning away. "He has called me that two hundred times today," said Justus with a sigh, lengthening and quickening his steps.