Four Phases of Love

octor, who had, in the meantime, directed the simple treatment of the children from the town, arrived at

h green branches and flowers. The baron himself, and all in the village who were connected with either of the f

boughs in the corner, when Clement, flushed with del

er first of all. At the same moment the

g to put him in mind of her. She stood, motionless, only lightly moving her eyelids, which overshadowed bright brown dead eyes. Yet they had no suspicion of the truth. "The wondrous things," they thought, "which seem so strange to her at first, have paralysed her for a time." But when the boy's del

the window, and examined her eyes. The thin grey film of the cataract which he had removed had not rea

erstood what had happened. His soul was too full of its newly-gained existence. But Mary lay bathed in tears, and would answer none of the doctor's questions. Even later, they could learn not

but all around have eyes, and look at us as if they loved us. And they shall look at you so too, only be patient and do not cry." And then he asked for the doctor, and rushed to him, beseeching him with tears to help Mary. The bright drops stood in the good man

mes from God. Be happy, as I am happy, that you are cured. You know already that I never wished very much for it. And now I should be quite contented if it did

oom below, where the people from the village pressed around him. They shook his hand, one after another, and spoke kindly w

lay down, exhausted with joy, sorrow, and weeping. His father spoke gently and piously to h

f his rapid narration, as a glance at his poor little friend reminded him what pain his joy must cost her. But, in truth, it did not cause her much pain; she wanted nothing for herself; to hear him talk so enthusiastically was pleasure enough for her. But when he began to come more rarely, fancying that he made her sad, or was silent because all other interests vanished before the one on which he did not dare to speak, she became uneasy; formerly she had seldom been

and stars, and the flowers, and the trees; and, above all, how their parents and she herself looked. She trembled with happiness in her inmost heart, when he told her innocently, that she was prettier than all the other girls in the village. Then he told her how graceful she was, and that she had such a pretty head, and dark, soft eyebrows. He had seen himself, too, in a looking-glass, but he was not nearly so pretty; he did not want to be, and it was all the same to him, as long as he grew up to be a clever man. Men appeared generally not to be so pretty as women. She did not understand all of this, but this much she did understand, that she pleased him, and what could she desire more? They never returned to this subject; but he w

usic; religious instruction, history, mathematics, and a little Latin, were all which formerly had appeared necessary or possible; and Mary had been permitted to share his lessons, which, after all, included

o his age, and to recover lost time. He sat many hours, even then, with his books, in the sacristan's garden. But the old way of talking w