THE IRR1 GA Tl ON AGE. 



135 



the happiness had yet entered 

 into the girl's heart. She had 

 accepted her suiter, because her 

 father had wished her to do so, 

 and she, the loving daughter, hav- 

 ing no will of her own, was accust- 

 omed to be ruled by his victorious 

 authority. 



"Wealth is happiness," the 

 father had said. "I wish to see 

 my children rich I want to see 

 them great." 



"I would rather see them 

 happy,'-' sighed the mother. 



But should she influence her 

 daughter against this marriage? 

 No, she could not do it. For this 

 union was the realization of one of 

 her husband's most ardent desires! 

 And Aamlie's intended husband 

 truly loved her. That was the 

 reason which silenced her above 

 any other. "What bliss it must 

 be to be loved!" It was more than 

 she, Frau Kaunitz, could grasp. 

 The little woman had a wide kind 

 heart opening towards all the 

 world. But the heart of her hus- 

 band, the handsome stately Herr 

 Kaun z, was small, narrow, Phili- 

 stine. Now she was alone with 

 him. Her deep, gray eyes, the 

 only truly beautiful feature of her 

 whole person, were often filled 

 with tears. 



"Great my son shall be, great 

 and famous! Law shall be his 

 profession, not painting nor music 

 as he would have it. Law leads to 

 everything. Therefore it is law. 

 He shall be a Bismark or some- 

 thing on that order, for we possess 

 the means to achieve it. Then 

 he'll be knighted, later he'll marry 



a rich daughter of the nobiliiy and 



then, then ," Thus dreamt the 



merchant and the dreams made 

 him happier. Frau Kounitz knew 

 this and she allowed her son to 

 leave. 



To make people happy! That 

 was always her desire. Only he 

 who can make others happy may 

 himself be truly happy. But 

 Bruno, her cherished son, was not 

 happy. What could she do? She 

 thought and thought, all in vain. 



There was no more Christmas 

 joy in the luxurious mansion. 

 Only the servants received the 

 expected gifts and the city's chil- 

 dren of the poor spoke of the 

 "angel kindness of Frau Kaunitz." 

 But her home was very quiet. To 

 a holy child this day was conse- 

 crated and glorified for Him and, 

 therefore, will Christmas be a holi- 

 day for the children for all time to 

 come. Old people are only happy 

 on this day if they witness the 

 happiness of children. 



Frau Kaunitz looked sadly 

 around her in the quiet room 

 where, in former years, the very 

 air seemed saturated with christ- 

 mas whisperings and the scent of 

 fire and pine. 



"Let Bruno remain at college. 

 The few days short and frequent 

 vacations are always hurtful. 

 Mister student readily acquires 

 the habits of idleness at home and 

 we need no such sentimentalities 

 anyway!" So spoke the father, 

 and when had the "master's" 

 energetic will not carried the day 

 in this house? 



And Amalie, although she often 



