BROTHERS AND SISTERS. 127 



supported by her legal guardian Herr Ekengreen. Un- 

 fortunately however we had no power to detain Sophia, 

 as she had been formally adopted by the uncle. 



In these straits Cupid came to our help. A young 

 lawyer in Llibeck. Dr. jur. Crome, had observed with 

 pleasure the young girl growing up near him, and was 

 only awaiting the dawn of womanhood to present him- 

 self as a suitor. The dire news of the intended emi- 

 gration prematurely ripened his resolution. He begged 

 the hand of the maiden of sixteen, and shortly before 

 the departure of the adoptive parents the wedding was 

 celebrated. We older members of the family have 

 not repented having favoured this step. The young 

 husband is said indeed, in his first married days, to 

 have been terribly tormented by jealousy, because the 

 young wife kept carefully locked certain drawers of her 

 cabinet, even eagerly endeavouring on his unlooked- 

 for entrance to conceal certain articles on which her 

 attention was engaged. But then, on his impetuous 

 demand, she tearfully confessed to him, it was the 

 new dress of her favourite doll, for the completion of 

 which the hasty wedding had left her no time! 



It deserves to be remarked that the native charac- 

 teristics of my brothers, as revealed in their earliest 

 youth, have been faithfully preserved to an advanced 

 age, and have given a well-defined direction to their 

 career. This holds good especially of my three brothers, 

 with whom a common life and aims have most united 

 me, of William, Frederick, and Charles. 



William had even as a child an abstracted, perhaps- 



