truck, as pale as a corpse, with the proof in his
hand that he had not merely dreamed, but had actually spoken with the
spirit of his friend. A servant of the household came in to ask whether
the lieutenant wished to breakfast in his room, or down stairs with the
family. Edward would willingly have remained alone with the thoughts
that pressed heavily on him, but a secret dread lest his absence should
be remarked, and considered as a proof of fear, after all that had
passed on the subject of the haunted room, determined him to accept the
last proposal. He dressed hastily, and arranged his hair carefully, but
the paleness of his face and the traces of tears in his eyes, were not
to be concealed, and he entered the saloon, where the family were
already assembled at the breakfast-table, with the chaplain and the
doctor.

The baron rose to greet him; one glance at the young officer's face was
sufficient; he pressed his hand in silence, and led him to a place by
the side of the baroness. An animated discussion now began concerning
the weather, which was completely changed; a strong south wind had risen
in the night, so there was now a thaw. The snow was all melted--the
torrents were flowing once more, and the roads impassable.

"How can you possibly reach Blumenberg, to-day?" the baron inquired of
his guest.

"That will be well nigh impossible," said the doctor. "I am just come
from a patient at the next village, and I was nearly an hour performing
the same distance in a carriage that is usually traversed on foot in a
quarter of an hour."

Edward had not given a thought this morning to the shooting-match. Now
that it had occurred to him to remember it, he felt little regret at
being detained from a scene of noisy festivity which, far from being
desirable, appeared to him actually distasteful in his present frame of
mind. Yet he was troubled, by the thought of intruding too long on the
hospitality of his new friends; and he said, in a hesitating manner,

"Yes! but I must try how far---"

"That you shall not do," interrupted the baron. "The road is always bad,
and in a thaw it is really dangerous. It would go against my conscience
to allow you to risk it. Remain with us; we have no shooting-match or
ball to offer you, but--"

"I shall not certainly regret either," cried Edward, eagerly.

"Well, then, remain with us, lieutenant," said the matron, lying her
hand on his arm, with a kind, maternal gesture. "You are hear