heir intercourse was frequent,
and their children grew up together, while many common interests united
the bonds of friendship still more closely. Neither of the families were
wealthy, and the sons, after completing their education, always had to
make their own way in the world, and this in their turn Major Hartmut
von Falkenried and Herbert von Wallmoden had done.

They had played together in their youth, and as men had remained true to
their boyhood's friendship. At one time it looked as if they would be
more closely allied, for their parents had planned a marriage between
Lieutenant Falkenried, as he was then, and Regine Wallmoden. The young
couple seemed to understand one another fully, and everything stood on
the happiest footing, when an event occurred which put an abrupt
termination to all their plans.

A cousin of the Wallmoden family, an incorrigible idler and spendthrift,
who had made his longer residence at home an impossibility by his wild
conduct, had gone out into the world years before, and after much
wandering, and an adventurous career, had finally turned his steps in
the direction of Roumania, where he obtained the management of a wealthy
Bojar's estate. After the Bojar's death he succeeded in winning the
widow's hand, and once more regained the position among the nobility
which he had lost earlier in life, through his own folly. And now, after
an absence of more than ten years, he returned with his wife to make a
long visit to his kinsfolk.

Frau von Wallmoden was by no means a youthful bride. She had long since
reached maturity, but she was accompanied by her daughter by her first
marriage, Zalika Rojanow; and this young Sclave, scarcely seventeen
years old, turned the heads of the simple country gentry, who after all
had seen but little of the world, by her grace and strange beauty, and
the fascination of her warm southern temperament. She was a strange
enough figure in this little circle, whose forms and customs she set
aside with such sovereign indifference. But there was many an earnest
shake of the head, many a word of blame, which was not outspoken,
because they only considered the girl a fleeting guest; she would vanish
again as suddenly as she had appeared on their little horizon.

Then Hartmut Falkenried came home from his garrison on leave, and met
the new family in the house of his friends. He saw Zalika, and his
life's destiny was sealed. It was a sudden and blinding passion, for
whic