hat you, gifted
by the heavens with so many bodily and mental excellences, should
always be so unlucky with the other sex--why I should always cut the
ground from under your feet. Cold creature! I feel certain that you
have no conception of the heavenly bliss of love, and that is why you
are not beloved. Whereas I, on the other hand----Believe me when I tell
you that Victorine's fiery indignation itself was engendered by the
flames of love which blazed in her heart for me--the fortunate, the
blessed one."

The door opened, and there came into the room a quaint little fellow,
in a red coat with big steel buttons, black silk breeches, heavily
powdered _frisure_, and a little round pigtail.

"Good Cochenille!" Ludwig called out to him. "Dearest Monsieur
Cochenille, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Euchar, declaring that important engagements called him away, left his
friend alone with the confidential servant of Count Walther Puck.

Cochenille, sweetly smiling, with downcast eyes, stated that their
Countly Excellencies were quite convinced that the most honoured Herr
Baron had been attacked, during the '_seize_,' by a malady which bore a
Latin name something like Raptus, and that he, Monsieur Cochenille, was
come to make inquiries as to his present state of welfare.

"Raptus! Raptus! Nothing of the kind." And he related, and detailed at
length, how the whole matter had come about, ending by begging the
talented Kammerdiener to put affairs in order as far as he possibly
could.

Ludwig learned that his partner was a cousin of Countess Victorine,
just arrived from the country for the occasion of the Count's
birthday--that she and the Countess Victorine were one heart and one
soul, and--inasmuch as the sympathies of young ladies often display
themselves in the form of silks and crapes--were often in the habit of
dressing exactly alike. Cochenille was further of opinion that the
vexation of Countess Victorine was not very genuine. He had handed her
an ice at the end of the ball, when she was standing talking to her
cousin, and had noticed that they were laughing tremendously, and had
heard them several times mention the honoured Baron's name. The truth
was, according to what he had been able to observe, that this cousin
was of a temperament exceedingly disposed to the tender passion, and
would only be too delighted if the Baron would carry further what he
had begun, namely, at once set to work to pay assiduous attention