ean mad, Regine," said Herr von Schoenau
solemnly. He didn't really know what to think. "Control yourself long
enough to tell me what the trouble is."

For reply Regine unfolded a newspaper and pointing to a certain
paragraph said tragically:

"Read!"

The head forester began to read, and he, too, soon became excited, and
grew red and angry as he read on. The paper was a weekly, published in
the South-German capital, and the article which excited their joint
wrath read as follows:

"We have just learned that a duel with pistols was fought early last
Monday morning, in one of the unfrequented suburbs of our city. The
opponents were the well-known society gentleman, Count W., and a young
North German landlord, W.v.E., who is the nephew and has been for the
past few days the guest of a very prominent member of the diplomatic
circle. The cause of the quarrel which resulted in the duel was a member
of the court theatre company, a young singer who has, until now, enjoyed
a good reputation. Count W. was wounded in the shoulder, and Herr v.E.,
who has left the city since, received a trifling wound in the hand."

"That goes beyond anything I ever heard," cried the head forester, in a
towering rage. "My future son-in-law fights a duel on Marietta's
account. What was the quarrel about? What do you know about it, Regine?
My papers don't mention it."

"But mine do. You'll find it in yours if you look them over well. I
caught sight of the article yesterday, and started at once, without even
staying over to see Herbert. Evidently he knows nothing about it yet, or
he'd have sent me word."

"Herbert'll be here to-day; in an hour or two now," said von Schoenau,
while glancing hastily over the papers. "He was going to Ostwalden with
Adelheid, he wrote me, and would return to town by way of Fuerstenstein
and spend an hour with me. Perhaps he is coming to tell me about it,
but that doesn't change anything. What's the matter with Will, has he
gone mad?"

"Yes, that he has," answered Regine, all excitement again. "You sneered
at me, Moritz, when I warned you your child would suffer from
association with an actress. That such a thing as this could happen
never entered my head until the moment when I discovered that Willibald,
my own, only son, was in love with this Marietta Volkmar. I tore him
from the danger and returned at once to Burgsdorf. That was the reason
of our sudden flight. I did not tell you for I thought Will was only
d