with the wish that we might have a good night's rest, albeit the
cocks were already crowing. "See here, cousin," said the old gentleman,
knocking the ashes out of his pipe on the grate, "I think, cousin, that
it's a very good thing no harm has happened to you either from wolves
or from loaded rifles." I now saw things in the right light, and was
ashamed at myself to have thus given the old gentleman good grounds for
treating me like a spoiled child.

Next morning he said to me, "Be so good as to step down, good cousin,
and inquire how the Baroness is. You need only ask for Lady Adelheid;
she will supply you with a full budget, I have no doubt" You may
imagine how eagerly I hastened downstairs. But just as I was about to
give a gentle knock at the door of the Baroness's anteroom, the Baron
came hurriedly out of the same. He stood still in astonishment, and
scrutinised me with a gloomy searching look. "What do you want here?"
burst from his lips. Notwithstanding that my heart beat, I controlled
myself and replied in a firm tone, "To inquire on my uncle's behalf how
my lady, the Baroness, is?" "Oh! it was nothing--one of her usual
nervous attacks. She is now having a quiet sleep, and will, I am sure,
make her appearance at the dinner-table quite well and cheerful. Tell
him that--tell him that." This the Baron said with a certain degree of
passionate vehemence, which seemed to me to imply that he was more
concerned about the Baroness than he was willing to show. I turned to
go back to my uncle, when the Baron suddenly seized my arm and said,
whilst his eyes flashed fire, "I have a word or two to say to you,
young man." Here I saw the deeply injured husband before me, and feared
there would be a scene which would perhaps end ignominiously for me. I
was unarmed; but at that moment I remembered I had in my pocket the
ingeniously-made hunting-knife which my uncle had presented to me after
we got to R--sitten. I now followed the Baron, who led the way rapidly,
with the determination not even to spare his life if I ran any risk of
being treated dishonourably.

We entered the Baron's own room, the door of which he locked behind
him. Now he began to pace restlessly backwards and forwards, with his
arms folded one over the other; then he stopped in front of me and
repeated, "I have a word or two to say to you, young man." I had wound
myself up to a pitch of most daring courage, and I replied, raising my
voice, "I hope they will be