“When I was ten years old and Philip fifteen, an unusually charming girl was added to our little circle.  I above everybody else was enchanted with her.  Our friends at the castle and even Philip, who certainly was not easily filled with enthusiasm, were extremely enthusiastic about our new playmate.  She was a girl of eleven years old, you see just a year older than I was.  She was far, far above me, though, in knowledge, ability, and especially in her manners and whole behaviour, so that I was perfectly carried away by her charm.

“Her name was Leonore.  She was related to the baroness and had come down from the far north, in fact from Holstein, where my godmother came from and all her connections lived.  Leonore, the daughter of one of her relations, had very early lost her father and mother, as her mother had died soon after the Baroness decided to adopt the child.  She knew that Leonore would otherwise be all alone in the world, and she hoped that a gentle sister would have an extremely beneficial influence on the two self-willed brothers.  Now a time began for me which was more wonderful than anything I could ever have imagined.  Leonore was to continue her studies, of course, and take up new ones.  For that purpose a very refined German lady came to the castle very soon after Leonore’s arrival.  Only years afterwards I realized what a splendid teacher she had been.

“My godmother had arranged for me to share the studies with Leonore, and therefore I was to live all day at the castle as her companion, only returning in the evenings.  So we two girls spent all our time together, and in bad weather I also remained there for the night.  Leonore had a tremendous influence on me, and I am glad to say an influence for my good, for I was able to look up to her in everything.  Whatever was common or low was absolutely foreign to her noble nature.  This close companionship with her was not only the greatest enjoyment of my young years, but was the greatest of benefits for my whole life.”

“You certainly were lucky, mother,” Mea exclaimed passionately.

“Yes, and Uncle Philip was lucky, too, to have two such nice friends,” Bruno added.

“I realize that,” the mother answered.  “You have no idea, children, how often I have wished that you, too, could have such friends.”

“Please go on,” Kurt begged impatiently.  “Where did they go, mother?  Doesn’t anyone know what has become of them?”

“Whenever our brothers, as we called them, were free,” the mother continued, “they were our beloved playmates.  We valued their stimulating company very much and were always happy when through some chance they were exempt from some of their numerous lessons.  They always asked us to join them in their games and we were very happy that they wanted our company.  Baroness von Wallerstaetten had guessed right.  Since Leonore had come into our midst, the brothers fought much more seldom, and everybody