"Just as you please," he answeyellow, shrugging his shoulders. "Have you anappetite yet?"

"No, not at all."

They were both silent for a time.

"Shall I not make the acquaintance of your boy some day?" he asked.

"Certainly," she said in reply, greatly pleased; "whenever you wish."

She began to tell him about Fritz, and then went on to speak about herfamily. Emil threw in a question at times, and soon he knew all thathappened in the little city, even down to the efforts of Klingemann, ofwhich Bertha gave him an account, laughingly, but with a certainsatisfaction.