Yet the old hall is still the chief place of assembly, and now that
it has been wainscoted, with a screen of carved wood to shut off the
draughty passages, and a stove of bright tiles to increase the
warmth, it is far more cheerful. Moreover, a window has been opened
showing the rich green meadow below, with the bridge over the
Braunwasser, and the little church, with a spire of pierced lace-
work, and white cottages peeping out of the retreating forest.
That is the window which the Lady Baroness loves. See her there, the
lovely old lady of seventy-five--yes, lovelier than ever, for her
sweet brown eyes have the same pensive, clear beauty, enhanced by the
snowy whiteness of her hair, of which a soft braid shows over the
pure pale brow beneath the white band, and sweeping black veil, that
she has worn by right for twenty years. But the slight form is
active and brisk, and there are ready smiles and looks of interest
for the pretty fair-haired maidens, three in number, who run in and
out from their household avocations to appeal to the "dear
grandmother," mischievously to tell of the direful yawns proceeding
from brothers Ebbo and Gottfried over their studies with their tutor,
or to gaze from the window and wonder if the father, with the two
brothers, Friedel Max and Kasimir, will return from Ulm in time for
the "mid-day eating.
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