Since the day of the installation, the Karpathys had been residing at
their castle at Madaras. Old Karpathy had yielded to his wife's wishes
in that respect. She had begged that they might live there for a short
time, although it was by no means so pleasantly situated as Karpatfalva.
Fanny wished, in fact, to be far away from Szentirma, and had no longer
the slightest desire to go to Pest since hearing from Kecskerey that the
Szentirmays intended living there during the winter.

Squire John and his wife were just then walking in the newly-laid-out
English garden. The gentle fallow deer already knew their mistress well.
Her pockets were always full of sugar almonds, and they drew near to eat
the dainty morsels out of her hand, and accompanied her up and down the
walk. Suddenly the rumble of a carriage was audible on the high-road,
and Karpathy, looking over the fence, exclaimed--

"Look, look! those are the Szentirmay horses!"

Fanny almost collapsed. The Squire felt her arm tremble.

"I trod on a snail," said his wife, turning pale.

"You silly thing, what's there to be afraid of? I knew that Flora would
come here to seek you out. Oh, how greatly that lady loves you! But,
indeed, who would not love you?"

But Fanny could see very well, from afar, that in the carriage which was
approaching sat not a woman but a man. Karpathy's eyes were weak. He
could recognize a horse even at a distance, but he could not distinguish
people.

"Come, we will go and meet her," said he to his wife as the carriage
swept into the park.

Fanny stood still as if her feet were rooted to the ground.

"Come, come, don't you want to meet your friend?" insisted the good old
man.

"It is not Flora," stammered Fanny, with frightened, embarrassed eyes.

"Then who else can it be?" asked the Squire. He must have been somewhat
surprised at the conduct of his wife, but there was not a grain of
suspicion in his composition, so he simply asked again, "Then who else
can it be?"

"It is Flora's husband," said Fanny, withdrawing her hand from her
husband's arm.

Squire John began to laugh.

"Why, what a silly the girl is! Why, you must welcome him too, of
course. Are you not the mistress of the house?"

Not another word did Fanny speak, but she hardened her face as well as
her heart, and hastened towards the coming guest on her husband's arm.

By the time they reached the forecourt of the castle, Rudolf's carriage
was rumbling into the court