oppress her. True, she had not wished to reveal it, but his eyes were
keen.

Soon after sunrise that morning she had carefully rebandaged his crushed
thumb, which was not yet healed. Then she had gone away, as she assured
him, for only a few hours. Now the sun was already high in the heavens,
yet she did not return, though it was long past the time for the bandages
to be renewed, and the drops to be given which sustained the life of the
dying Minorite in the adjoining room. It made him uneasy, and when
anxiety had once taken root in his heart it sent its shoots forward and
backward, and he remembered many things in which Eva had been different
the day before. Why had she whispered so long with Herr Pfinzing and
then looked so sorrowfully at him, Biberli? Why had Frau Christine come
not less than three times yesterday afternoon, and again in the
evening? She had some secret to discuss with the surgeon Otto. Had any
change taken place in his condition? and did the leech intend to
amputate his thumb, or even his hand? But, no! only yesterday he had
been assured that he could save all five fingers, and his sorely mangled
left foot too. The widow was better, and all hope of saving the
Minorite's life had been relinquished two days ago. Eva's anxiety must
have some other cause, and he asked himself, in alarm, whether she could
have received any bad news from his master or Katterle?

A terrible sense of uneasiness overpowered him, and the necessity of
confiding it to some one took such possession of the loquacious man that
he called little Walpurga from the next room. But instead of running to
his bedside, she darted forward with the joyful cry, "She is coming!"
towards the door and Eva.

Soon after the latter, leading the child by the hand, entered the room.