_Magda_ has not forgotten her home; especially does she long to see her father whom she loves passionately, and her sister, whom she had left a little child of eight. After the concert _Magda_, the renowned artist, steals away from her admirers, with their flowers and presents, and goes out into the darkness of the night to catch a glimpse, through the window at least, of her father and her little sister. _Magda's_ father is scandalized at her mode of life: what will people say if the daughter of the distinguished officer stops at a hotel, associates with men without a chaperon, and is wined and dined away from her home? _Magda_ is finally prevailed upon to remain with her parents. She consents on condition that they should not pry into her life, that they should not soil and besmirch her innermost being. But that is expecting the impossible from a provincial environment. It is not that her people really question; but they insinuate, they speak with looks and nods; burning curiosity to unearth _Magda's_ life is in the very air. _Schwartze._ I implore you--Come here, my child--nearer--so--I implore you--let me be happy in my dying hour. Tell me that you have remained pure in body and soul, and then go with my blessing on your way. _Magda._ I have remained--true to myself, dear father. _Schwartze._ How? In good or in ill? _Magda._ In what--for me--was good. _Schwartze._ I love you with my whole heart, because I have sorrowed for you--so long. But I must know who you are. Among the townspeople who come to pay homage to _Magda_ is _Councillor von Keller_. In his student days he belonged to the bohemian set and was full of advanced ideas. At that period he met _Magda_, young, beautiful, and inexperienced. A love affair developed. But when _Von Keller_ finished his studies, he went home to the fold of his family, and forgot his sweetheart _Magda_. In due course he became an important pillar of society, a very influential citizen, admired, respected, and feared in the community. When _Magda_ returns home, _Von Keller_ comes to pay her his respects. But she is no longer the insignificant little girl he had known; she is now a celebrity. What pillar of society is averse to basking in the glow of celebrities? _Von Keller_ offers flowers and admiration. But _Magda_ discovers in him the man who had robbed her of her faith and trust,--the father of her child. _Magda_ has become purified by her bitter struggle. It made her finer and bigger. She does not even reproach the man, because--