rselves of your escort, and make an excursion thither."

Anton gently reminded her of the vanished Bratzky and his own
suspicions.

"They are only suspicions," said the baron, soothingly, "and there can
be no doubt that it is our duty to call. Indeed, I can not believe that
Herr von Tarowski had any thing to do with the man's disappearance."

In the afternoon the two sledges were brought round. The baroness seated
herself with her husband in the larger one, and Lenore insisted upon
driving her own. "Wohlfart shall sit behind me on the seat," decided
she.

The baron whispered to his wife, "Wohlfart!"

"I can not allow you to drive alone," calmly replied she. "Have no
anxiety. He is in your service, besides; there is no great impropriety;
and you and I shall be together."

The little bells sounded merrily across the plain. Lenore sat in the
highest spirits in her little nutshell of a seat, and loudly urged on
her horse. She often turned round, and her laughing face looked so
lovely under her dark cap that Anton's whole heart went out toward her.
Her green veil fluttered in the wind, and brushed across his cheeks,
hung over his face, and concealed the view. The next moment his breath
moved the ribbon round her neck, and he saw that only that slight silken
covering lay between his hand and her white throat and golden hair.
Absorbed in this contemplation, he could hardly resist the delight of
gently passing his fur glove over her hood, when a hare jumped from its
form close to him, shaking its ears threateningly, and significantly
flinging its legs in the air. Anton understood the friendly hint, and
drew back the fur glove; and the hare, pleased to have done a good turn,
galloped off over the plain.

Our hero turned his thoughts into another direction. "This white road
bears no trace of man's presence, no slides, no footprints; there is no
life around to disturb the silent sleep of nature. We are travelers
penetrating into regions hitherto untrodden. One tree is like another,
the snow expanse is boundless, the silence of the grave around, and the
laughing sunshine above. I wish we were going on thus the whole day
through."

"I am so glad to drive you for once," said Lenore, bending back, and
giving him her hand.

Anton so far forgot the hare as to imprint a kiss upon her glove.

"It is Danish leather," laughed Lenore; "do not give yourself the
trouble."

"Here is a hole," said Anton, prepared to renew the attem