Gyali began to see that it was after all something more than simplicity
that could give utterance to such easily recognized exaggeration; and
when the old man began to inform him, in which section of which chapter
of the Corpus Juris would be found inscribed His Excellency's Magyar
"indigenatus," etc., etc., Gyali began to feel exceedingly
uncomfortable, and began to again change the course of the conversation.
He chattered on about His Excellency being a fine, free-thinking man,
related a hundred anecdotes about him, how he turned out the Jesuits
from his possessions, what jokes he had played on the monks, how he
persecuted the pietists, and other such things as might be very
inconvenient incumbrances to the Principality of
Hohenelm-Weitbreitstein,--in the case of any such principality existing
in the world.

The theme lasted the whole of dinner time.

Czipra wanted to do all she could to-day for herself. For the
farewell-dinner she sought out all that she had found Lorand liked, and
Lorand was ungrateful enough to allow Gyali the field of compliment to
himself: he could not say one good word to her.

Yet who knew when he would sit at that table again?

Dinner over, Lorand spent a few minutes in running over the house: to
give instructions to every servant as to what was to be done in the
fields, the garden and the forest before his return in two weeks' time.
He gave everyone a tip to drink to his health; for to-morrow he was to
celebrate a great festival.

Topandy, too, was looking over the preparations for the journey. Czipra
was the lady of the house: it was her task, as it had always been, to
amuse the guest who remained alone. Topandy never troubled himself to
amuse anyone, for whose entertainment he was responsible. Czipra was
there, he must listen to what she had to say.

In the meantime the butler, who had been sent to Sarvoelgyi's to bring
Gyali's traveling cloak, came back.

He brought also a letter from the young lady for Lorand.

"From the young lady?"

Lorand took the letter from him and told him to take the cloak up to the
guest's room.

He himself hastened to his own room.

As he passed through the saloon, Gyali met him, coming from Czipra's
room. The dandy's face was peculiarly flurried.

"My dear friend," he said to Lorand, "that gypsy girl of yours is a
regular female panther, and you have trained her well, I can tell
you.--Where is there a looking-glass?"

"Yes she is," replied Lo