l; the blockade is still being kept up."

"But starvation will be a difficult matter where the garrison is well
nourished."

The poor gypsy girl did not understand a word of all this jesting, which
was uttered for her edification: and if she had understood it, was she
not a gypsy girl, just to be sported with in this manner?

Were not Topandy and his comrades wont to jest with her after this
manner.

But Czipra did not laugh over these jests as much as she had done at
other times.

It exercised a distasteful influence upon her heart, when this young
dandy spoke so lightly of Melanie, and even slighted her before the eyes
of another girl. Did all men speak so of their loved ones? And do men
speak so of every girl?

Topandy turned the conversation. He knew his man at the first glance: he
had many weak sides. He began to "my lord" him, and made inquiries about
those foreign princes, whose plenipotentiary minister M. Gyali was
pleased to be.

That had its effect.

Gyali became at once a different person: he strove to maintain an
imposing bearing with a view to raising his dignity, for all the world
as if he had swallowed a poker; he straightened his eyebrows, put his
hands behind him under the tails of his lilac-colored dress-coat and
formed his mouth into the true diplomatic shape.

It was a supreme opportunity for being able to display his grandiose
achievements. Let that other see how high he had flown, while others had
remained fastened to the earth.

"I have just concluded a splendid business for his Excellency, the
Prince of Hohenelm-Weitbreitstein."

"A ruling prince, of course?" inquired Topandy, in naive wonder.

"Why, you know that."

"Of course, of course. His possessions lie just where the corners of the
great principalities of Lippedetmold, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and
Reuss-major meet."

Oh, Gyali must have been very full of self-confidence when he answered
to the old magistrate's peculiar geographical definition, "yes."

"Your lordship has already doubtless found an excellent situation in the
Principality?"

"I have an order and a title, the gift of His Excellency."

"Of course it may lead to more."

"Oh yes. In return for my winning His Excellency's domains, which he
inherited on his mother's side, he will settle on me 5,000 acres of
land."

"In Hohenelm-Weitbreitstein?"

"No: here in the Magyar country."

"I thought in Hohenelm-Weitbreitstein: for that is a beautiful country."