read there was a
long list of the names of noblemen who had been beheaded. Among them
she read the name of her husband, Henry Erlan. The newspaper fell from
her hands, and she swooned away. A severe illness came on, and it was
a long time doubtful whether she would recover. The old Tyrolese
despaired of her life, and said,--

"The coming autumn may find her no more with us; but who knows what
the good Lord will bring out of all this sorrow?"

II.

The old servant Richard, having rescued his good mistress from arrest,
and probably from death, now formed the resolution to save his master
too. He had not much time to plan, for he learned that the duke was to
be beheaded the following week. It so happened that the son of his
brother Solomon, the ferryman, belonged to the National Guard, and was
stationed at the prison to guard it. If he could only secure him to
engage in the enterprise, he felt that he could succeed. It was a
difficult thing to get a word to say to any member of the National
Guard. But old Richard had done many kind things for his nephew, and
he succeeded in getting a note to him through the post office,
appointing a time, when he was off duty, to meet him. Richard opened
the whole enterprise freely to his nephew, and told him all the great
injustice that had been done a noble family, and the sufferings
through which the different members had passed.

The duke was informed that he was to be beheaded next day, and his
door was marked by the prison-keeper as the room of a man who was to
be executed the following morning. The good man knelt in prayer after
the intelligence had been conveyed to him, and said,--

"To whom shall I go for help and courage, this last night of my life,
but to thee, O Lord? Thou knowest best what will happen to me. If it
be in accordance with thy will, permit me to see my wife and children
again. If thou seest that it is not best for thy glory that I should
live, then I will obey willingly. Thy will, not mine, be done."

[Illustration: "FATHER, FATHER! THAT IS THE VERY TUNE WHICH WE WERE
SINGING TOGETHER THE NIGHT THAT YOU WERE ARRESTED." See page 327.]

That was a noble prayer. Scarcely had the last word fallen from his
lips, when he heard somebody gently lifting the latch of his door, and
inserting the key.

"Save yourself," whispered the person who entered, who was none other
than old Solomon's son, to whom Richard had confided his enterprise.
It was two o'clock in