n
but little seen. Rumour, however, was busy with him. At one time some
commercial traveller had seen him at Zinck's Hotel at Hamburg; now he
was living in a palace; and now the story was that he was existing in
the docks, and writing sailors' letters for a glass of beer.

One fine day Garman and Worse's heavy state carriage was seen on its way
to the quay. Inside sat the head of the firm, Consul C.F. Garman, and
his daughter Rachel, while little Gabriel, his younger son, was sitting
by the side of the coachman. An unbearable curiosity agitated the groups
on the quay.

The state carriage was seldom to be seen in the town, and now at this
very moment the Hamburg steamer was expected. At length an _employe_ of
the firm came to the carriage window, and, after a few irrelevant
remarks, ventured to ask who was coming.

"I am expecting my brother the _attache_, and his daughter," answered
Consul Garman, while with a movement peculiar to himself he adjusted his
smoothly shaven chin in his stiff neckcloth.

This information increased the excitement. Richard Garman was coming,
"the mad student," "the _attache_" as he was sometimes called; and with
a daughter, too! But how could they belong to each other? Could he ever
have been really married? It was hardly likely.

The steamer came. Consul Garman went on board, and returned shortly
after with his brother and a little dark-haired girl, who doubtless was
the daughter.

Richard Garman was soon recognized, although he had grown somewhat
stouter: but the upright, elegant bearing and the striking black
moustache were still the same; while the hair, though crisp and curling
as in the old days, was now slightly necked with grey at the temples. He
greeted them all with a friendly smile as he passed to the carriage, and
there was more than one lady who felt that the glance of his bright
brown eye rested smilingly on her for a moment.

The carriage rolled off through the town, and away down the long avenue
which led to the large family mansion of Sandsgaard.

The town gossipped itself nearly crazy, but without any satisfactory
result. The house of Garman took good care of its secrets.

So much was, however, clear: that Richard Garman had dissipated the
whole of his large fortune, or else he would never have consented to
come home and eat the bread of charity in his brother's house.

On the other hand, the relation between the brothers was, at least as
far as appearances went,