"The roses were not destined for Toni at all, but for Fraulein Volkmar," he explained defiantly.
"For----" the word choked the terror-stricken woman.
"For Marietta Volkmar! She wanted to wear a rose in her hair to-night, and since there were none to be had in Waldhofen, I went to the castle gardener and got those flowers. Now you know it all, mamma."
Frau von Eschenhagen stood there like a pillar of salt. She had turned ashy pale, for suddenly a light had dawned upon her, but it showed her something so awful that she lost both speech and motion for a while.
But her old fire returned. She grasped her son's arm as if she meant to have him in any case and said curtly:
"Willy--we leave to-morrow."
"Leave!" he repeated. "For where?"
"Home. We depart to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock, so that we can catch the fast train and arrive at Burgsdorf the day after to-morrow. Go immediately to your room and pack."
But the commanding tone made no impression whatever on Willy this time.
"I shall not pack," he declared sullenly.