instantly suppressed to one of
conventional inexpressiveness. I was pleased and interested with this
little peep at a rank which I had never seen, and could have stood
watching them for a long time; the splendid beauty and the great pride
of bearing of the English lady were a revelation to me, and opened quite
a large, unknown world before my mental eyes. Romances and poems, and
men dying of love, or killing each other for it, no longer seemed
ridiculous; for a smile or a warmer glance from that icily beautiful
face must be something not to forget.

It was Eugen who pushed forward, with a frown on his brow, and less than
his usual courtesy. I saw his eyes and Miss Wedderburn's meet; I saw the
sudden flush that ran over her fair face; the stern composure of his. He
would own nothing; but I was strangely mistaken if he could say that it
was merely because he had nothing to own.

The concert was a success, so far as Miss Wedderburn went. If von
Francius had allowed repetitions, one song at least would have been
encored. As it was, she was a success. And von Francius spent his time
in the pauses with her and her sister; in a grave, sedate way he and the
English lady seemed to "get on."

The concert was over. The next thing that was of any importance to
us occurred shortly afterward. Von Francius had long been somewhat
unpopular with his men, and at silent enmity with Eugen, who was, on the
contrary, a universal favorite. There came a crisis, and the men sent a
deputation to Eugen to say that if he would accept the post of leader
they would strike, and refuse to accept any other than he.

This was an opportunity for distinguishing himself. He declined the
honor; his words were few; he said something about how kind we had all
been to him, "from the time when I arrived; when Friedhelm Helfen, here,
took me in, gave me every help and assistance in his power, and showed
how appropriate his name was;[C] and so began a friendship which, please
Heaven, shall last till death divides us, and perhaps go on afterward."
He ended by saying some words which made a deep impression upon me.
After saying that he might possibly leave Elberthal, he added: "Lastly,
I can not be your leader because I never intend to be any one's
leader--more than I am now," he added, with a faint smile. "A kind of
deputy, you know. I am not fit to be a leader. I have no gift in that
line--"

[Footnote C: _Helfen_--to help.]

"_Doch!_" from half a dozen a