giving his message. He was not without some little fear of Marie,
and hesitated to tell her that he had spread the report about her
marriage. So he contented himself with simply announcing to her
that George Voss intended to visit his old home.

'Does my uncle know?' Marie asked.

'No;--you are to tell him,' said Greisse.

'I am to tell him! Why should I tell him? You can tell him.'

'But George said that I was to let you know, and that you would tell
your uncle.' This was quite unintelligible to Marie; but it was
clear to her that she could make no such announcement, after the
conversation which she had had with her uncle. It was quite out of
the question that she should be the first to announce George's
return, when she had been twice warned on that Sunday afternoon not
to think of him. 'You had better let my uncle know yourself,' she
said, as she walked away. But young Greisse, knowing that he was
already in trouble, and feeling that he might very probably make it
worse, held his peace. When therefore one morning George Voss
showed himself at the door of the inn, neither his father nor Madame
Voss expected him.

But his father was kind to him, and his mother-in-law hovered round
him with demonstrations of love and gratitude, as though much were
due to him for coming back at all. 'But you expected me,' said
George.

'No, indeed,' said his father. 'We did not expect you now any more