frequent speech, and she continued in this
strain for some time. Towards morning, nature refusing to endure more,
Gustav fell asleep; and when he woke the early train was gone.

In the same manner did his wife prevent his writing to his unhappy
brother. "It is sad that such things should be," she said, "sad that a
man of birth should commit so vulgar a crime; but he has done it, he has
disgraced us, he has struck a blow at our social position which may
easily, if we are not careful, prove fatal. Take my advice--have nothing
to do with him. Leave him to be dealt with as the law shall demand. We
who abide by the laws are surely justified in shunning, in abhorring,
those who deliberately break them. Leave him alone."

And Gustav left him alone.

Trudi was at a picnic when the telegram reached her flat. With several
of her female friends and a great many lieutenants she was playing at
being frisky among the haycocks beyond the town. Her two little boys,
Billy and Tommy, who would really have enjoyed haycocks, were left
sternly at home. She invited the whole party to supper at her flat, and
drove home in the dog-cart of the richest of the young men, making
immense efforts to please him, and feeling that she must be looking very
picturesque and sweet in her flower-trimmed straw hat and muslin dress,
silhouetted against the pale gold of the evening sky.

Her eye fell on the telegram as the picnic party came crowding in.

"Bill coming home?" inquired somebody.

"I'm afraid he is," she said, opening it.

She read it, and could not prevent a change of expression. There was a
burst of laughter. The young men declared they would never marry. The
young women, prone at all times to pity other women's husbands,
criticised Trudi's pale face, and secretly pitied Bill. She lit a
cigarette, flung herself into a chair, and became very cheerful. She had
never been so amusing. She kept them in a state of uproarious mirth till
the small hours. The richest lieutenant, who had found her distinctly a
bore during the drive home, went away feeling quite affectionate. When
they had all gone, she dropped on to her bed, and cried, and cried.

It was in the papers next morning, and at breakfast Trudi and her family
were in every mouth. Bibi came running round, genuinely distressed. She
had not been invited to the picnic, but she forgot that in her sympathy.
"I wanted to catch you before you start," she said, vigorously embracing
her poor frien