"Never fear."

"I know all about it. They say you're well tied up with her." Florian
smiled and passed on, glad to know that the truth was not suspected.

[Illustration: Florian saw Schlunkel sitting by the roadside.]

In the hollow Florian saw Schlunkel,--an outcast of a fellow, who had
been to the penitentiary twice, sitting by the roadside and counting
money. At another time he would not have honored such a wretch with a
look; but now he could not help addressing him with, "Shall I help you
count?" The fellow looked at him without answering.

Florian sat down beside him and at last asked him for a florin.
Schlunkel grinned, tightened the strings of his purse, passed his
finger across his mouth, and whistled. Florian held his arm
convulsively.

"You wouldn't take the money from _me_, would you?" asked Schlunkel.
"What do you want so much money for?"

"I want to buy something."

"Well, I'll go to Horb with you."

Florian would rather have perished on the spot than to have been seen
walking with Schlunkel in broad daylight. "Give me six creutzers," he
said: "I'll meet you in the 'Knight' in an hour, and pay you."

Schlunkel gave him the money, and Florian ran away with the speed of
lightning, often putting his hand into his pocket to make quite sure of
how much he had. He squeezed the four coins through his fingers one by
one, as if to make each one bring forth another. He went whistling
through the cattle-fair, to reach the fancy fair in the upper part of
the town.

8.
FLORIAN LOSES MONEY AND WINS CRESCENCE.

He was brought to a pause by the sight of a gaming-table. He passed on,
and inspected the tobacco-pipes in the next booth. Turning back, he
resolved merely to look at the others who were playing. One was
particularly fortunate with No. 8. Putting his hand in his pocket, he
set a three-creutzer piece on the same number, and lost it. He tried
again, and again he lost. He bit his lips until they bled, but
immediately looked around with a smile, to conceal his vexation. He
lost again. He felt his knees knocking, and his intestines boiled. With
hot, trembling hand, he threw down his last coin, and looked another
way. He won back all the money he had lost. He seized it hastily,
thinking, "There! so much for playing with edged tools. I'll hold on to
you now, my darling!" Yet he remained rooted to the spot. It would not
do to let people see how glad