d! that I
did not see sooner that thou art! Yes, thou art! And I am happy, most
happy, most inconceivably happy that thou art! Ah!" continued he, in a
tone of the most rapturous delight, "that my dream and my bride should
prove to be one and the same. I am most inexpressibly joyful!"--and
the large tears fell from his eyes like summer rain--"most
unutterably--and thou, wilt thou love me, and be mine, my glorious,
sweetest, loveliest cousin--my most, most beautiful bride!"

"Thy cousin! thy bride! Alas! alas! thy cousin I may be, but thy
bride--! They are going to marry me up there at the castle to an old,
ugly, cross prince; he is there now, and you cannot know how much I
hate him. I will die--"

"The devil they are! Forgive me, sweetest, most beautiful cousin, it
is a foolish way we learn of speaking in camps. But, loveliest, do not
talk of dying, let the old and the ugly die, but thou--First tell me
who this ugly, old, cross prince is, they shall not marry you to any
such."

"Why he is not so very ugly--and I do not exactly know that he is
cross; but then he is old, very old--yes, very old and very
disagreeable--and I never can love him."

"Nor shalt thou--his name, most beautiful?"

"Ferdinand, Prince of Bernstorf."

"Ferdinand, prince of ten thousand devils! I beseech of thee to
forgive me once again, sweetest cousin; but thou dost petrify me.
Ferdinand, Prince of ---- Ah! it must be--yes, yes, it must be so."

"What must be? Thou speakest in riddles, stranger cousin."

"And thou lovest him not, nor dost thou wish to wed him?" asked the
stranger, an almost provoking smile just curling his handsome mouth.

"No, no, never--never!"

"Nor shalt thou ever!" exclaimed he, his manner changing to one of
serious earnestness. Nor shalt thou ever, dearest, most beautiful--for
_I_ will prevent it, I--"

"Thou? Alas! alas! I have been betrothed to him ever since I was an
infant. How could my dear father--"

"Dearest cousin, trust to me--wilt thou not? And, dearest, sweetest
cousin, love me, and be my beautiful wife. Nay, shake not thy
loveliest head. Have I been too hasty in urging my love? I have known
thee, and loved thee, for so many years; thou hast, thy beautiful
spirit has ever, night and day, been near me, the light of my life;
but I have frightened thee by my impetuosity--and thou canst never
love me? But, no, thy beautiful eyes look tenderly upon me; and thou
wouldst not let me hold this little soft, war