"You, then," said she, "were the good angel that averted such a terrible
misfortune from our family?"
Her two daughters also gazed with pleasure at Caroline.
"Every time we ate cherries," said the younger, "we spoke of you without
knowing you."
All had kind and grateful words for the young girl, but the colonel soon
bade her farewell for the present, and said that he had some business to
attend to with his brother-in-law. This business was to urge the count
to appoint Ehrenberg his steward in place of the one who had died a few
months before. A better man, he said, could not be found; for when he
had visited Rebenheim to make inquiries for the family, although none
could tell where they had gone, all were loud in their praise, and the
mayor was pronounced a pattern of justice, honor and charity.
The count drew out the order, signed it, and gave it to his
brother-in-law, who wished himself to take it to Mr. Ehrenberg; and he
went at once to the house and saluted him as "master-steward of
Buchenhaim."
"Read that," he said to the astonished man as he handed him the paper in
which he was duly appointed steward of Buchenhaim, with a good salary of
a thousand thalers and several valuable perquisites.
"And you," said the colonel to Caroline and her mother, "must prepare to
remove at once. Your lodgings are so confined! But you will find it very
different in the house which you are to occupy in Buchenhaim. The
dwelling is large and commodious, with a fine garden attached, well
stocked with cherry trees.
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