me?" conquered him as usual. He turned hesitatingly, and left the room,
but the door behind him remained half open.

Marietta glanced after him with a contemptuous curl of the lip and then
turned back to her adversary. "You need give yourself no further
uneasiness, my dear madame. I have come to Fürstenstein for the last
time. As the head forester had received me with his old-time cordiality,
and as Antonie was as affectionate toward me as ever, I could not know
that they felt that there was a stain upon me on account of the
profession which I follow. Had I suspected such a thing I surely would
not have inflicted myself upon them. It will not happen in the future,
never again."

Her voice failed her, and her face bore a new, pained expression, while
it was with difficulty she restrained the tears. Frau von Eschenhagen
felt she had gone too far in her candid statement.

"I do not want to annoy you, my child," she said, unbending a little. "I
only wanted to make it clear to you that--"

"Not want to annoy me when you say such things to me?" interrupted the
girl with flashing eyes. "You treat me like an outcast, not fit any
longer for association with decent people, and why? Because I earn my
bread with the talent which God has given me, and give pleasure to
mankind at the same time. You traduce my old grandfather who made great
sacrifices to have me well educated, and who saw me go out into the
world with a heavy heart. The bitter tears stood in his eyes as he
clasped me in his arms, and said, as he bade me good-bye: 'Be honest and
true, my Marietta. One can be that always, no matter what their road in
life. When I close my eyes on this world I shall have nothing to leave