air about them, which seemed to remind me that I was regarded as an
offender already found guilty, who had now been brought up to receive
judgment.

"My son," said the father, addressing me in a calm, judicial tone which
at once put my last remaining hopes to flight, "it is a consolation to
us to know that your offense is of such a nature that it cannot diminish
our esteem for you, or loosen the bonds of affection which unite you to
us. You are still feeble, and perhaps a little confused in mind
concerning the events of the last few days: I do not therefore press you
to give an account of them, but shall simply state your offense, and if
I am mistaken in any particular you shall correct me. The great love you
have for Yoletta," he continued--and at this I started and blushed
painfully, but the succeeding words served to show that I had only too
little cause for alarm--"the great love you have for Yoletta caused you
much suffering during her thirty days' seclusion from us, so that you
lost all enjoyment of life, and eating little, and being in continual
dejection, your strength was much diminished. On the last day you were
so much excited at the prospect of reunion with her, that you went to
your task in the woods almost fasting, and probably after spending a
restless night. Tell me if this is not so?"

"I did not sleep that night," I replied, somewhat huskily.

"Unrefreshed by sleep and with lessened strength," he continued, "you
went to the woods, and in order to allay that excitement in your mind,
you labored with such energy that by noon you had accomplished a task
which, in another and calmer condition of mind and body, would have
occupied you more than one day. In thus acting you had already been
guilty of a serious offense against yourself; but even then you might