o enable
her to emigrate--and she had left. A companion of hers in the ballet,
who had been a suitor for her affection, and had, heretofore, been
rejected, had accompanied her.

"My papers had been confiscated, and I feel quite sure that it was done
at my father's instance, for he distrusted me, and wished to get me out
of harm's way.

"Among them there was also a memento of my beloved; it was a little
narrow red ribbon tied in a knot and torn off at both ends. She had
given it to me in a happy moment, and I had fastened it on a sheet of
paper and had written under it 'talisman.'

"All of my papers were returned to me, but not the ribbon. My father
had sent it in the letter to my beloved, and had, moreover, written, in
my name, 'By this sign I request you to obey the bearer of this in all
that he may require of you.'

"My father said to me: 'She whom you call your wife has left by my
orders.' Through a former friend of hers, I received a letter in which
she asked me whether I had caused the child to be taken from her;
because it had suddenly vanished about the time the vessel was
leaving."

"What ails you? What alarms you?" suddenly exclaimed Rautenkron.

I controlled myself and begged him to go on with his story.

"I left my father and led an adventurous life. Pshaw! I have even been
croupier at a gaming-table. And there I heard that my father was dead.
On the day before, I had seen him staking rouleaus of gold--he had not
recognized me.

"By chance I made the acquaintance of Baron Arven, and through him I
received the appointment of forester in his woods, after having, as
assistant-forester, learned my profession from Hartriegel.

"I bear a strange name, and shall die with it. But, before I die, I
shall put my living bones to use.

"I could not make up my mind, but now something has helped me to
decide. The engineer whom you are employing down by the new mill which
you are building is one of my victims. I recognized him at once,
although he has changed greatly. I do not know whether he remembered
me, but I almost believe that he did. He looked at me carelessly and
then turned away. It is well that I have had a look at one of my
victims. That destroyed the last traces of indolence and the desire to
hide myself from the world. I must and will live. The French are
coming. They have made all preparations to burn our woods. The little
spectacled forest Junker--you know that I dislike him; he still acts,
the p