sat on the bridge's railing. On
the road, not far away Susy McRae's guitar betrayed her approach, and
John Wendell's barytone hummed the air that she was picking. Von
Rittenheim put his foot on the topmost bar and leaned his elbow on his
uplifted knee. By his position Sydney was screened entirely from the
oncomers.

"I seem to have a gr-reat deal to say to-night. Now I shall tell you a
little stor-ry."

His tone was gay, but Sydney saw that his eyes were grave.

"Does it begin 'Once upon a time'?" she fenced.

"_Ja. Es war einmal_ a knight, who led a happy life in his own country
until a gr-rief came to him which he thought the most ter-rible sorrow
that could come to anybody. He learned better afterwards, but at the
time it seemed to him not to be endured. So he left his home and became
a wanderer over the earth. And for many months he r-roamed, and nothing
ever made him for-rget his tr-rouble until one day he saw a beautiful
pr-rincess. Ah, she was a most lovely pr-rincess, with a face like a
r-rose, and teeth like pearls, and a heart that was a tr-reasure of
goodness."

Friedrich warmed with his subject. He was looking his fill on the
downcast face before him, while Sydney pulled at the little
handkerchief in her lap, and carefully smoothed out a corner of it on
her knee.

"As soon as he saw her the knight knew that his old tr-rouble was not
what he had thought it. And he knew also at once what would be the
gr-reatest happiness that life could give him. He determined to win
this happiness if he could, but first he had to pr-rove himself to the
pr-rincess that he was a knight of cour-rage and not a weakling. So he
told her of his purpose and begged of her a favor that he might wear it
on his heart."

There was a pause, so long that Sydney asked, still with downcast
head,--

"How does the story end?"

"I know not."

"You don't know?"

"I never learned it any farther. What do you think comes next?"

"I don't--I think----"

Bravely she raised her eyes to his, and stood before him, blushing
divinely.

"I think she gave him a token and bade him Godspeed." And Friedrich
found himself with a morsel of cambric in his hand, which he kissed
passionately, while Sydney was walking towards the bridge's end,
answering Susy's cry.

"Here I am. Is it time to go?"

And John was answering,--

"Mrs. Carroll warned us to go home early on account of the dance
to-morrow night."

Laughing and singing they went t