iss, the sole spirit of my life. Then she wept again
that I was so unhappy. She was so amiable, so full of love! How blessed
had she felt to have offered herself up in order to spare me a single
tear!

But she was far from rightly understanding my words: she sometimes
fancied I was a prince pursued by a cruel proscription; a high and
devoted chief, whom her imagination loved to depicture, and to give to
her beloved one all the bright hues of heroism.

Once I said to her, "Mina, on the last day of the coming month, my doom
may change and be decided; if that should not happen I must die, for I
cannot make thee miserable." She wept, and her head sunk upon my bosom.
"If thy doom should change, let me but know thou art happy; I have no
claim upon thee--but shouldst thou become miserable, bind me to thy
misery, I will help thee to bear it."

"Beloved maiden! withdraw--withdraw the rash, the foolish word which has
escaped thy lips. Dost thou know what is my misery? dost thou know what
is my curse? That thy beloved--what he? Dost thou see me shuddering
convulsively before thee, and concealing from thee--" She sunk sobbing
at my feet, and renewed her declaration with a solemn vow.

I declared to the now approaching forest-master, my determination to ask
the hand of his daughter for the first day of the coming month. I fixed
that period, because in the meanwhile many an event might occur which
would have great influence on my fortunes. My love for his daughter
could not but be unchangeable.

The good old man started back, as it were, while the words escaped from
Count Peter's lips. He fell upon my neck, and then blushed that he had
so far forgotten himself. Then he began to doubt, to ponder, to inquire;
he spoke of dowry, of security for the future for his beloved child. I
thanked him for reminding me of it. I told him I wished to settle and
live a life free from anxiety, in a neighbourhood where I appeared to be
beloved. I ordered him to buy, in the name of his daughter, the finest
estates that were offered, and refer to me for the payment. A father
would surely best serve the lover of his child. This gave him trouble
enough, for some stranger or other always forestalled him: but he bought
for only the amount of about a million florins.

The truth is, this was a sort of innocent trick to get rid of him, which
I had already once done before: for I must own he was rather tedious. The
good mother, on the con