mself immediately
in front of me, and fixing his keen piercing eyes upon me said, "Boy,
do you think you can frighten me with your idle threats? Do you think I
should set much value on your life if you can go and throw it away in
childish folly like a broken plaything? What have you to do with the
Baron's wife? who has given you the right to insinuate yourself, like a
tiresome puppy, where you have no claim to be, and where you are not
wanted? do you wish to go and act the love-sick swain at the solemn
hour of death?" I sank back in my chair utterly confounded After a
while the old gentleman went on more gently, "And now let me tell you
that this pretended illness of the Baroness is in all probability
nothing. Lady Adelheid always loses her head at the least little thing.
If a rain-drop falls upon her nose, she screams, 'What fearful weather
it is!' Unfortunately the noise penetrated to the old aunts, and they,
in the midst of unseasonable floods of tears, put in an appearance
armed with an entire arsenal of strengthening drops, elixirs of life,
and the deuce knows what. A sharp fainting-fit"---- The old gentleman
checked himself; doubtless he observed the struggle that was going on
within me. He took a few turns through the room; then again planting
himself in front of me, he had a good hearty laugh and said, "Cousin,
cousin, what nonsensical folly have you now got in your head? Ah well!
I suppose it can't be helped; the devil is to play his pretty games
here in divers sorts of ways. You have tumbled very nicely into his
clutches, and now he's making you dance to a sweet tune," He again took
a few turns up and down, and again went on, "It's no use to think of
sleep now; and it occurred to me that we might have a pipe, and so
spend the few hours that are left of the darkness and the night." With
these words he took a clay pipe from the cupboard, and proceeded to
fill it slowly and carefully, humming a song to himself; then he
rummaged about amongst a heap of papers, until he found a sheet,
which he picked out and rolled into a spill and lighted. Blowing the
tobacco-smoke from him in thick clouds, he said, speaking between his
teeth, "Well, cousin, what was that story about the wolf?"

I know not how it was, but this calm, quiet behaviour of the old
gentleman operated strangely upon me. I seemed to be no longer in
R--sitten, and the Baroness was so far, far distant from me that I
could only reach her on the wings of thou