reminded him of
his hunting-parties. He was upon the point of returning to the story
of the stag that he did not shoot, but Albert cut him short, and
laughing out loud, though with increased displeasure, remarked that,
though there was, to be sure, some smart shooting in the chase, it was
a comfortable arrangement that the stags, hares, &c., whose blood was
at stake, could not return the fire.

Albert felt thoroughly warmed by the beverage which he had drunk, and
which he found was excellently made of splendid wine, and his
comfortable state of body had a good effect on his mind, completely
overcoming the ill-humour which had taken possession of him in this
uncomfortable society. He unfolded before Victor's eyes the whole
sublime and fearful picture of the awful battle, that at once
annihilated all the hopes of the fancied ruler of the world. With the
most glowing imagination, he described the invincible, lion-like
courage of those battalions who at last stormed the village of
Planchenoit, and concluded with the words: "Oh! Victor, Victor! would
you had been there, and fought with me!"

Victor had moved close to the baroness's chair, and having picked up
the large ball of worsted, which had rolled down from her lap, was
playing with it in his hands, so that the industrious knitter was
compelled to draw the threads through his fingers, and often could not
avoid touching his arm with her long needle.

At the words, which Albert uttered with an elevated voice, Victor
appeared suddenly to wake as from a dream. He eyed his friend with a
singular smile, and said, in a half-suppressed tone: "Yes, dear Albert,
what you say is but too true! Man often implicates himself early in
snares, the gordian knot of which death alone forcibly sunders! As for
what concerns the raising of the devil in general, the audacious
invocation of one's own fearful spirit is the most perilous thing
possible. But here every thing sleeps!"

Victor's dark, unintelligible words were a sufficient proof that he had
not heard a syllable of all that Albert had said, but had been occupied
all the time with dreams, which must have been of a very singular kind.

Albert, as may be supposed, was dumb with amazement. Looking around
him he perceived, for the first time, that the master of the house, who
with hands folded before him, had sunk against the back of a chair, had
dropped his weary head upon his breast, and that the baroness with
closed eye